Truth, Lies and Death
by ebmordecai
Summary: "I will not allow you to forget what you cost me!  I will have my vengeance and take what is mine," said Death.  A sequel to The Child Born from Darkness.
1. Prologue

**Okay people, let's try this again shall we! I actually had two ways of writing the sequel to The Child Born from Darkness, so since the other way is just too danged confusing, I'm going with plan B! Though, if you read what little I wrote on this story before it was deleted, you might see something familiar. Both ways of writing this story had the same ending, so that won't change. I just hope this will be a little bit easier to follow. I've learned that, no matter how cool and awesome it looks in your head as you are writing a story, it don't mean a hill of beans if you confuse your readers! So, with that in mind, what do you say we "take two" on the sequel! If you left a review on the deleted version of this story, please, please, please, do so on this one too! That was the one thing I hated about having to delete the other story, I lost you guys' great reviews! But, I'd rather start over and do this, and the first story, some justice! So, without further waiting, here is the Prologue… **

Death, it comes to us all. With some, Death swoops down upon them with a mighty thunder. With others, it floats like a breeze inside a window. No matter what form Death may take, it is assured that Death will come. It is absolute. The moment we are born, we are dying. But the most ironic thing about death is that is it easy, as easy as sleeping. Living, now that is much harder. It should not be death that we fear, but living that commands our respect and fear.

At least that is what I'm telling myself in my last moments of life. That is what I'm telling myself as my chest rises and falls at an inhuman rate, because my lungs cannot get enough oxygen. It is what I'm telling myself as the man I love holds my body in a tight grip, screaming his words of sorrow, his words of pain, into my pale face. Death is so close to me now, waiting for what he believes belongs to him. I have escaped his grasps far too long and I know that it is time to pay my dues, for no one can outwit Death.

Has it been only a week since my life changed, since I learned the full truth, a week since I fell into the hole in that cave and came face to face with my own mortality? I take what few precious moments I have and think back on that innocent, naive little girl I used to be. The girl I used to be, before Death showed me the truth. In the darkest recesses of a cave, he showed me a world that should have never been and yet, I know it existed. It is that world that occupies my last moments on this earth.

Everything I did, every horrible thing I went back in time to change, was it all for nothing? Was it some vain attempt to think I could actually have that happy ending we always hear about as children? Everything has a cost, every action a consequence. What I did, what I changed has huge costs and consequences, yet I know it was worth it. Though I will not survive the night, I know _they_ will. Life can be so unfair sometimes, yet would we go back and change the chance to have lived? I can only speak for myself and I say…no. Everything up to this moment has been worth it.

The one question that has never left me this whole week was would I go back to the way things were when I was in the dark about what really happened. Would I want to choose not to remember it all? I…remember…everything! I remember the orphanage I grew up in, remember the day my angel came and took me away to Hogwarts. My years at Hogwarts, I remember those too. I remember the horrors of my years but also the joys. Every single death I witnessed is tattooed upon my heart for all eternity. I remember every single tear that slipped down my face for the lives that were snatched away from me. I remember every waking moment with Severus Snape. From the moment I first laid eyes on him, to the moment his body breathed its last, just his memory alone has been worth everything else. But I remember how I changed it all, how I changed their fates. With that changing, I called down Death's wrath upon my head without even knowing it. Though that innocent girl was changed forever the day Death showed me what I had done…the point is that I remember!

Snape is the one holding my broken body tightly now, the one that is trying in vain to win an unwinnable battle. I am lost to him, for I only have a few minutes more. Death is closing in, waiting to take me from him forever. I do no regret changing the course of history, thus changing everyone's future, no matter the consequences. He will be safe, they all will be safe. My love sacrifice has spilled over into this new world, and Death cannot take out his vengeance upon them. It is my only saving grace at the moment.

As the last few breaths leave my body, I realize that I wouldn't go back to the girl I was before falling into the hole in the cave. I don't want to go back to being in the dark. Remembering has made my last week on earth worth so much more than it would have been had I not known the reasons my life is forfeit. Though I have lost so much innocence in knowing the truth, in knowing what really happened, I gained an understanding of what true love and sacrifice really is. I only wish to ease Snape's pain, all of their pain, but I am not afforded such luxuries. Someday, he will be alright. Snape is stronger than me, always has been, for I could not live in a world where he didn't exist. He, on the other hand, will find a way to go on.

I try to raise my hand so as to touch his face, but I have no strength left. I want him to kiss me, but my mind cannot form words to ask. Their faces, all that have gathered around me, are becoming dark, as if shadows are standing in their way. There is a presence behind them, one I know all too well. Death is here, reaching his hand out for me to take, as if we are close friends. I am not ready to go, not just yet.

With what willpower I have left, I move my eyes a fraction towards Snape. He sees the movement and reacts immediately, calling my name urgently. I am reminded of the night I lost him, yet our roles are reversed this time. It is I that lays broken and shattered, and it is he that begs me to tell him what to do. It is he that begs me to stay with him. I do only what I can do in this situation, which is to beg him with my eyes to let me go as he did with me in that world that should never have existed. He realizes what I am asking of him, but I am met with the harsh shaking of his head. Death does not need his permission to take what is his, but I do.

My body begins to shake, as Snape tries, in vain, to stop the inevitable from happening. Death slowly begins to walk towards me, throwing all my loved ones into complete darkness. It is only Death's face that I see, his eyes that I stare in to. He has come seeking payment for the souls I took from him. Again, I think how willingly I give him what he seeks, for as long as they live, my death will count for something.

Death is standing over me now, our eyes meeting. Snape screams my name, yet to my deadening ears it sounds as only that of a whisper. Death looks at me, as though he feels sorrow for my predicament, but I know this not to be true, for he is the reason I am in this state…no, I am the reason I'm in the state.

"It is time, Aileen. The debt must be paid," Death whispers.

The old saying was right, death is easier than living. As the wails and cries around me grow in volume, as Snape shakes my body in despair and rage, I finally give in to Death, paying my debt that I've owed him for so long. He takes me in to his side, welcoming me as an old friend might welcome another. It really is as easy as going to sleep.

Finally in the waning hours, on the seventh day, I am no more.

**Oh yeah…this is gonna be so much more fun to write! (Insert evil laugh here!) There will be more to come very soon! **


	2. That Is No Tradesman

I can feel the sweat growing on my forehead, tickling my skin. Even underneath my nose, above my lip, I feel the first signs of perspiration making an appearance. I can barely breathe. Just a fraction of a wrong move will ruin everything. Not for the first time since this began, have I wondered why in the world I was doing this to myself. I mean, is it worth it? There are so many other things I could do with my time. For instance, I could be outside enjoying the sun soaking into my pores, listening to my friends talk and laugh. Instead, I'm stuck in a dark, cold room trying not to shake, though my body is wound up like a clock.

"Concentrate."

A soft, deep voice floats to my ears, the owner close by. How does he do that? How in the world does he know when I get distracted? I try to clear my mind of every thought, every sensation, but I find it difficult when he's so close. Standing just a few inches behind me, looking over my shoulder, is Professor Severus Snape. His keen eyes are watching every move I make, which causes me to shake even when I fight against it. I'm pretty sure I could be more successful if he wasn't so close, but I know he won't move away and I sure can't ask him to.

"Sorry," I whisper.

"Sorry will not cut it in a few weeks, Miss Riddle."

The mere thought of what is to happen in two weeks causes a sudden dread to fill my mind. Why does he need to remind me? Wasn't it enough that I have no confidence that I'll even succeed in the task I'm consumed in at the moment? Now, he wants to throw in to my scrambled head what is to come in only a few weeks. But isn't that the point, for me to be ready?

"Think of the contents in that caldron as fragile glass. One wrong move and it will shatter into millions of pieces, shatter into nothing. Every ingredient comes that much closer to shattering the potion. Ease them inside, as if you cherish their very existence," Snape whispered.

My eyes close under their own power. Snape is at my side, inches from my ear as his words melt into my brain, his voice covering me like a blanket. The thought that he's doing this on purpose, trying to test my concentration, floats through my mind. It is possible that he's testing me further, seeing if I'm ready. The brooding Potions Master and his protégé, at least that's what the students and teachers at Hogwarts calls me and Snape. Their nickname for us is sort of correct.

My interest in Potions started the very first day I stepped into the classrooms down in the dungeons. It fascinates me to no end when I think of ingredients like the Asphodel and Crushed Snake's Fang, two ingredients with absolutely nothing in common, but when you put them together, they work perfectly to form the potion, Draught of Living Death. Two ingredients, that alone they are nothing special, but put them together and they make one of the most advanced Potions in existence. It kind of reminds me of myself and "mister brooding man" behind my shoulder. We are the total opposite, night and day, yet there's something about us that just…fits. It's been that way for years, from the moment he saw my interest in Potions. I had asked him one question, but it opened up an opportunity that allowed me to, not only come to care for the man, but also advance my knowledge in a subject that both of us holds dear to our hearts.

After my first week at Hogwarts, I had stalked up to his desk. He was lost in his papers, not paying me or any other student any attention. After what seemed like eternity, those black, coal eyes of his slowly rose to meet me head on. At first, I felt a fear grip my throat, causing my words to be swallowed whole. I couldn't speak, couldn't even breathe, under the stare of those eyes. Even now, years later, I still feel the jolt in my stomach. Before I knew it, the words tumbled out of my parched mouth and I braced for the impact. I had asked Snape how one becomes a Potions Master and where did I sign up. Okay, so that was two questions, but did it really matter?

"You…want to be a Potions Master?" The past came alive in my mind as I remember how his words dragged on as he spoke. Though his voice had been soft, I could hear mockery in the edges of his words. So, not only did my fascination for the subject lead me to where I am today, but the determination to drive that mockery from Snape's voice gave me to the courage to mock him right back.

"Technically, I would be Potions Mistress, but I think you understand what I'm asking."

I shake my head in astonishment, wondering how I had the courage to say what I did that day, but it had worked. There had been a ghost of a smile, a hint of amusement in his eyes. The rest, as some say, is history. He took me under his wing, teaching me everything my small mind could hold. To this day, I don't know if it was the fact that a student had the courage to ask him for his help, or the fact that I stood up to his mockery, but whatever it was, he had held up his end of the bargain. He had gotten me to a place where I was one step closer to becoming a Potions Mistress. Now, the rest was up to me and so far, I was doing a horrible job.

"You're losing focus, Miss Riddle."

I slightly shake my head, ridding the past from my mind and thrusting myself into the present. My hands still shook, but there was nothing I could do about it at this point. They were already on the instrument I would use to stir the ingredients. So far, the liquid looked a perfect light shade of lilac, but the true test was in my next action.

"Counter-clockwise...seven times," I breathe.

There is no response behind me, which tells me that I am correct.

One, two, three…four, my hand stirs the ingredients slowly, though I cringe inwardly at the sight of my hand shaking lightly. I begin to pray that it wouldn't affect the potion. Snape called the potion as fragile as glass. The slight tremor in my hand was enough to shatter it to pieces. _Think, think…what comes next? Anticipate your next move!_

"Clockwise…once," I whisper.

My hand moves slow, slow, until it goes all the way around the caldron, and I hold my breath. The moment I still, my eyes close, hoping this time is a success. My wandering is short lived as I hear a loud sigh behind me, feel it tickle the side of my face. I snap my eyes open and what I see makes me want to punch something. Punch something really, really hard.

With a growl of frustration, I push the caldron away from me. It glides over the table, coming to rest with the last three caldrons I screwed up. All four caldrons are a slap to my face, an ever reminder of my failures. Again, I ask the question of why I am doing this to myself.

"I can't do it," I huff.

"You cannot do it, because you lack the discipline to concentrate. Without concentration, the potion does not respect you. Clear your mind of everything, Miss Riddle. It is as simple as that," Snape said, his voice matter-of-fact.

"Simple for you, maybe," I mumble.

"Or, you can act like a sniveling child and allow your failures to define you!" he bit back.

I cringe again. I hate that tone in his voice, hate it when it's directed at me, which if I thought about it, it seldom is directed at me. Maybe that's why I hate it so much. It shows his disappointment in me and that is something I just don't want. I want to make Snape proud, for he has invested so much time in teaching me everything he can.

"Again," I say. I am determined to make the perfect Draught of Living Death, even if it means I sit in this chair all night. I will not stop until I can see my reflection in the clear liquid, not the black goo that the other four caldrons are filled with. Two weeks, that's all I have before I stand in front of the instructors for my N.E.W.T.S. Two weeks before my fate is sealed. Though Draught of Living Death is something we learn in sixth year, I have never gotten the grasp of it, and Snape worries that it will be my downfall. I worked on Draught of Living Death all last year, my whole sixth-year, but the outcome was the same as what stares at me now. It is the only potion I can't quite seem to master, but I don't know why.

Behind me, Snape rummages through his closet full of ingredients. To my relief, I realize that he will allow me to try again. This time, I am determined to get it right. This one potion, it drives me crazy, because all the other potions I've mastered. Even the most advanced ones, ones that most wizards and witches cannot do, but I can. I have an excellent teacher.

"Damn it!" I hear Snape say under his breath.

I turn in my chair, watching him in the tiny space, surrounded by hundreds of ingredients; some so costly I can't bear to think about how much money I've cost him. Four bad caldrons can only spell out big time galleons. Snape turns stiffly in the claustrophobic space, his hands lightly touching the labels. It dawns on me that he's run out of one of the ingredients for the potion…because of me, of course. I want to apologize, but I'm fearful of making him angrier. More curse words are mumbled and I close my eyes, breathing in and out deeply. He pays me no attention, which gives me a moment to watch him.

I like to watch him when he doesn't realize anyone is looking. Of course, I doubt that he doesn't know that I watch him. He is a smart man, one that cannot be easily fooled. I have a hunch that he knows I watch him, yet he says nothing at all about it. This only makes me confused, so I try not to dwell on it. I like the way his robes flow away from his body when he moves, as if he possesses his own wind, one designed only for when he walks. His hair flows down to his shoulders, sitting delicately in place. It's the color of a raven, as black as his eyes. When the light touches it just right, it looks almost dark purple in places. But what I like best is watching Snape's face. I know every emotion he possesses. I know the look of anger, of amusement, of sadness and rarely, in those moments where he tries to hide it, I even see happiness. One I've never seen, though, is love. I've spent many nights wondering how Snape would look in love, but that leads to my mind wondering to places I will not let it go. It reminds me, painfully, of my unrequited crush on the man. Yes, it's true that I like, I mean really…really, like my Potions Master, though I have learned to hide it well. He is all I have thought about since the moment I saw him staring at me in the Great Hall my first night in Hogwarts.

Even then, I felt a strong attachment to him, as if we share some bond that neither of us can define. We have never had the courage to talk about it, but I know he is as aware of it as I am. He has never shown one ounce of interest in me, except for our student-teacher relationship. Though it has made me cry, more than I care to admit, I am thankful for even that relationship. Snape is a hard man, an even harder man to get to know, but with me it's different somehow. He allows me in, allows me closer than anyone else, so I don't waste my time pining for something that will never be. I enjoy what little time I have left with him, for my seventh-year is coming to a close in the next few months, and I will be off on my own, teaching my own students Potions…_if _I can pass my N.E.W.T.S. I feel as though I've known him my whole life.

"Are you hungry?" Snape asks me out of the blue.

I turn in my seat at the sound of his voice, only a fraction of a second away from him catching me staring. I close my eyes, thinking how sloppy I'm being. I've always kept a cool head with my emotions towards him. It takes a few seconds for his question to sink in to my mind, but when it does, it confuses me.

"No?" I say as a question.

"Then I suggest you go and grab your cloak. Meet me in my office in fifteen minutes," he says as he passes me without another look.

With my head swimming with questions, I do as he asks. He gives me no other hints as to why he's asking me to grab my cloak, why he, I'm guessing, is asking me to miss supper. As I close his door and walk into the darkened dungeon halls, I sigh. I feel as if I got nothing accomplished after two hours of working on Draught of Living Death. I know I'm doomed now.

My fellow Slytherins are gathered in the common room. Some are standing by the open fire, chatting with friends, while others are lying around bored as they wait for supper to begin. I see my cousin, my best friend, Draco Malfoy standing to the side of the group. He is talking with Crabbe and Goyle. They don't see me, which I'm fine with, because I'm getting a little tired of the way Crabbe gawks at me, as if my neck has sprouted two heads. Draco and the group of friends we associate ourselves with tell me constantly of Crabbe's undying love for me. At first, I assumed they were just trying to annoy me, but over the years I have seen the proof myself. He stares just a little too long for my comfort, his eyes glazing over with what could only be described as longing. Luckily, for the sake of our friendship, he has never confessed his feelings. If it ever happened, I know what my course of action would be. I try to make myself see Crabbe a more than a friend, but it has never quite felt right. Something is missing, those feelings for him lost in a haze of long, dark hair and billowing robes. I cannot see past the unreachable to find happiness in what is right before me. The sad part is, is I'm okay with it.

I slip past everyone, hoping I can get in and get out in fifteen minutes. For just a moment, I fear Snape will leave me out of whatever plan he has for us if I'm only a minute late. I can't stop the giddy excitement that swells within me. It always happens when I know I will spend more time with Snape.

I get to my room, shaking the thoughts from my head. Thinking like that is stupid and careless. Though I did turn seventeen, which in the Wizarding world is considered of age, I am still a student of Hogwarts. I am still a student under Severus Snape, who also happens to be my Head of House. If he so much as touches me, he runs the risk of a sacking and that would destroy me. I could never put him in such a position, I won't.

I grab my cloak, hurrying out of my room I share with three seventh-year Slytherin students and walk brusquely down the stairs into the common room. Again, no one seems to be paying me much attention and I think the coast is clear, until Draco's voice calls me from the opposite end of the room.

_Keep walking. Act as if you don't hear him_. I say over and over to myself. It's too late, because I can hear him coming up behind me. My hand squeezes the doorknob, my mind trying to remember how long I've been gone.

"Where are you off too in a hurry?" Draco asks.

I turn towards my cousin, giving him one of my dazzling smiles. "Off to another session with Professor Snape. Seems I'm not as good as I thought on potion making," I laugh, though saying the truth out loud causes my fears to rise a little higher.

"Haven't you been working with him for two hours now?" His face scrunches up in confusion. Out of everyone at Hogwarts, including Grandfather Dumbledore, Draco knows me the best. We've gotten so good at learning each other's mannerisms that we can speak to one another without the use of words.

"You know how important this is for me, Draco. I must get it right to pass the N.E.W.T.S. If I don't, I can kiss any future dealing with teaching goodbye."

"I know, Aileen, but we haven't spent much time together lately. You know, there's a world going on outside of Snape's classroom. You might want to join it some time," he says softly.

I feel the guilt immediately. I've been so caught up in tutoring with Snape that I neglected him and my other friends. I hate to think what they all think about me at this point. I'm afraid the only one that will be in my corner is Hermione Granger. She knows how important the upcoming weeks are and I'm sure that she's done her fair share of preparing. _Y_es, _but she doesn't have Snape._ I shake my head a little, trying to clear that last thought straight out of my brain. I don't have Snape either, not like I want to have him.

"I know, Draco. I promise this weekend will be devoted to you and the gang. No studying, no schoolwork." _No Snape._ "You will have my undivided attention."

"Good, because Neville has another hair-brained idea and he's dragging all of us in to it with him."

I close my eyes, sighing heavily. Any time the life of the party, Neville Longbottom, gets an idea of what fun is we, his friends, seem to pay the price right along with him. To this day, I have never been sent to detention for anything I've done. It's all been thanks to Neville, but that is what we love about him. He makes our group have fun, screw the consequences.

"Harry and Ron?" I ask. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley are the rational ones of the group. They seem to be able to rein Neville in, somewhat.

"Are on board, ironically," Draco says smiling. His smile lets me know that he, too, is going along with whatever plan Neville has hatched.

"The others? Hermione?" I ask. I'm desperate to hear that one person refuses to do what Neville wants us to do.

"The same, everyone wants to do it. Let him explain it, Aileen. It sounds kind of fun."

"Even Hermione?"

Draco's smile grows until its throbbing from his eyes. "Well, of course she took a little bit of persuading than we did, but I was able to…change her mind."

I roll my eyes. "Spare me the details of you and Hermione's romantic involvement. Besides, I'm in a hurry anyway. When is this…adventure supposed to happen?"

"Two days, on Saturday."

I nod my head, realizing that it wouldn't hurt me to take one day off from preparing. Snape had not planned anything for that day, so I didn't have a reason to not spend it with my friends.

"Fine. Fill me in on the details tomorrow, okay?"

With that, and a brief hug from Draco, I was out the door. Hurrying down the cold, dark hallway of the dungeon, I throw my cloak over my shoulders. It is my favorite piece of clothing I own. The first time my family and I went to Diagon Alley, I saw it hanging in one of the shop's windows. It called to me, like a siren calls to a sailor. I needed it, wanted it more than anything else…well almost anything else. I love it even more, because it reminds me of Snape, of something he would wear. Not able to help myself, I begin running towards Snape's door. I'm not sure how much time has passed, but I feel urgent.

Panting, I knock softly on the door, trying to gain my breath before Snape answers. After several seconds, I begin to worry that, in fact, I've been left. "Come on, come on," I mumble under my breath.

The door jerks open, Snape standing and ready to go. He gives me an once-over, his eyes lingering on my black cloak. Was that an appraising look? Something crosses over his eyes, but it's gone before I can recognize it. I try to remain relaxed and uninterested, but with his eyes on my like they are, I feel like an ant under a microscope…but in a good way. As if he realizes he's staring at me, Snape looks away immediately. The look on his face is one I'm not used to. I can't really say I've seen it before, but it looks as if he's embarrassed maybe? I'm not sure.

"Let's go," he speaks. His voice is crisp and clear, like sundried linen.

Without question, I follow Snape out of the dungeon, out of the school. What surprises me is that I'm not nervous or apprehensive about where we are heading. I know, because history tells me, that I'm safe with Snape. He strides through the darkening grounds of Hogwarts on long, powerful legs. I jog to keep up with him, looking for a good opportunity to ask him where our destination leads us tonight. I'm not sure that he will tell me, but I will ask anyway.

"Um, where are we going?" I say, my chest lightly heaving.

A few moments of silence greets me, not a word spoken. I look around and recognize the area immediately. We are on the path that leads to Hogsmeade. During my years at Hogwarts, I've used this very path. That must be where we are going.

Snape answers my thoughts with one word, "Hogsmeade." My next question, though I do not ask it, is why.

"And before you ask, it seems after four failed caldrons filled with black goo, I have found my stock missing a few necessities." I grimace, hearing unspoken accusations in his voice. Yes, we all know it's my fault some ingredients are all used up. "If you truly want to become a Potions Mistress, you must understand how the system works, how the ingredients are found."

"You don't get them yourself?" I ask.

Snape shakes his head no. "Some of them I do. For instance, the Asphodel is found in the Forbidden Forest. It is rather easy to get, so I take care of that myself. Other things, things found further away, I have to rely on other sources, say a tradesman. Most of them, the fair ones that do not try to cheat you out of your money, are found in Hogsmeade," he growls.

I have the sinking impression that someone has cheated Snape before. It wouldn't surprise me if Snape tore the man, or woman, limb from limb. I dare not ask my thoughts out loud. We walk in silence as the shadows of the coming night begin to slither towards us. I can't help but to look around me, behind me, for some unseen evil to jump out and surprise us. The trees are eerie at twilight. I feel as though they are watching me, their long, arm-like limbs stretching in every direction.

I don't think about what I'm doing, but my body gravitates towards the towering figure beside me. I find it odd how that simple jester eases my stress. The shadows do not look so large and menacing now. The trees look like blades of grass under my shoe. We are getting closer to Hogsmeade, for I can hear the loud chatter and music coming from the pubs.

"You are to listen to me and do exactly as I say, is that understood?" he asks, his eyes remaining ahead of us.

I nod my head in agreement, realizing stupidly that Snape isn't paying attention to me. "Yes," I breathe.

As soon as we enter the streets of Hogsmeade, Snape takes my arm firmly, but gently, as he leads me towards Hogshead. I know the place well, having come here many times over the years with my friends. We love the Butterbeer, but something tells me I won't get to enjoy the delicious drink tonight.

Stepping inside, I find the pub almost empty, except for a few tables occupied with patrons. At the sight of me, they show surprise on their faces. I take a wild guess and say they aren't used to a student gracing them with their presence at this time of night. Some look harmless enough, but there are few that scare me just with their eyes. One in particular, sitting in the back corner, is staring and Snape and me, his red eyes glowing in the dimness of the room. I say a silent prayer that this creature is not where Snape is headed, but as I am being pulled towards the far table in the corner, I realize that is exactly where Snape means to lead us.

The man, if you can call him that, does not blink. He does not give any indication that he recognizes Snape, but I am still pulled towards him. I have the feeling of a caged bird being pulled towards a room full of hungry cats. Why did Snape bring me here? I stare into the red eyes of the stranger, feeling myself becoming entranced by his stare.

"Do not look in his eyes," Snape hissed under his breath.

I look away reluctantly, but I did promise Snape I would obey his every command. His words only solidify to me that there is something dangerous about the man sitting before us. Snape is the first to sit. He still has a hold of my arm, stopping me from moving. Slowly, not taking his eyes off of the man, he slides my chair back from the table…way back. I realize that my chair is positioned slightly behind his own, as if he feared this man would leap over the table and attack. A voice in my head told me that was not unthinkable.

"You seek me for supplies," the man with the red eyes says. His voice sounds clear, as if speaking into my head. His sentence wasn't a question but a statement. Snape gives him a nod in reply. "Tell me, what is it that you require?"

The man's voice made goose bumps erupt all over my skin. I feel the need to rub my hands up and down my arm, but I remain still, a silent statue amongst the backdrop of Hogshead. I stare at the man's hands, too afraid to look into those red eyes.

"I need Crushed Snake Sculls," Snape answered.

The man shakes his head thoughtfully. "How many?"

"Four sets, and perhaps two vials of Moondew if you have it on your person," Snape says, his voice business-like.

I feel those red eyes boring in to my face, though I dare not shift my eyes back to look at the strange creature. Silence fills the air around the table, as Snape stares at the tradesman, the tradesman at me, me at his hands.

"Do we have a deal, or should I be looking for another tradesman?" Snape asks. His voice is low and dangerous.

"What you require is very costly. It is not easy to come by Crushed Snake Fangs, or Moondews for that matter. I am guessing those are ingredients to a very powerful potion, am I correct?"

"That is correct," Snape answers.

"Payment for such exquisite items comes at a high price. I am not sure your job as a teacher will be able to cover the cost."

I steal a look at Snape, seeing his face is turning a sickly, purple color. An artery throbs from his neck, the blood pumping fast. He is angry, though I cannot remember if I have seen such a look of anger on his face before. Is this man cheating him, perhaps?

"I…have never had a problem paying before…sir," Snape says, his anger barely under control.

"Yes, well I have no doubt about that, but it is not money I require. No amount of money can pay the debt owed to me," the man whispers.

A chill works its way from the tips of my hair, down my face and neck, towards my feet. It is not so much as what he says, but how he says it that has me wanting to run from the pub. His stare upon me intensifies. I have this horrible feeling that when he speaks of "payment" he is speaking of me. I wonder if Snape feels the same, for his body stiffens beside me, his face darkens.

"You are no tradesman, are you?" Snape asks. His voice is unrecognizable, a mixture of fury, agitation and…fear?

The creature across from me shakes his head no. I see the movement out of the corner of my eye. I'm watching Snape, watching to see what is to happen. The artery continues to throb, looking as if it will explode.

"We have made a mistake. I beg your pardon for the intrusion," Snape says, though his voice sounds eerie. I do not recognize the look upon his face; do not recognize the look that passes over his black orbs. Snape stands abruptly. His hand is back on my arm, pulling me from my chair. My head swims with the swift movement of standing before my body is ready. Snape pays me no mind as we turn to leave.

"For the girl, the debt shall be paid and you may inherit anything your heart desires, Severus. For the girl, you can have whatever burns fire in your body," the red-eyed creature purrs.

Snape stops just short of the door, causing me to bounce back to him like a sling shot. His hold tightens on my arms, causing pain at once. I wince, but he pays me no attention, his body growing more rigid as time slips by. I feel the urge to push him through the door, just to get us away from those red eyes, just to get away from that stare. Snape turns slowly, his face smiling viciously. I add that look to the many others of him in my head, for I've never seen such a look of pure rage flowing from his eyes.

"I own you no debt, sir. You will receive nothing from me, especially the girl. I will find what I seek elsewhere," Snape growls.

We remove ourselves from the pub into the blackness of night. There is a slight breeze, causing goose bumps to break out on my arm instantly. It is early spring and winter refuses to give up its struggle for control. At night, the temperate drops low, and this night is no exception. I pull my cloak around me as best I can since Snape is still holding my arm, though his strength relaxes causing me instant relief. I want to speak, but I am afraid I will anger him more.

"That was no tradesman, was it?" I ask low. I feel after several minutes of low, deep breathing coming from him, he is ready for my questions, though it is only one question I ask.

"No," he responds, no other response but that.

"If he was no tradesman, what do you suppose he was?"

Silence. As the moments slip away, I doubt if he will answer. "Rule number one, Aileen," he states, using my first name. The one thing I am certain about the man beside me, is when my first name is in use, he is under an extreme amount of stress. It is the only time his guard is down, the only time he allows to let it slip that, in fact, he does care for me too. "When you begin your journey as Potions Mistress, you will learn how to read people. I must admit that I knew the man was no tradesman the moment we sat at his table, but I found myself curious. Rule number two, never be curious of the ones trying to sell you their ingredients."

I feel like laughing, as if Snape tells me some funny joke. It is not that I feel surprise that Snape was aware the man was a fraud, but I feel some confusion that he felt the need to talk to the man in the first place. I mention this thought to him, but I am given nothing but the shrug of his shoulders.

"I was aware of the risks, bringing you here, but if you are to know the ins and outs of Potion making, you must know everything, right down to how to get the ingredients. However, there was something about the man…something I cannot quite put my finger on. It felt as though…"

"He could pierce your very soul," I interrupt.

Snape turns his black orbs onto me. I meet them, holding them in my own blue ones. From the look in his eyes, I know I just hit the nail on the head. Snape had felt the same smothering emotions that I had in the presence of the red-eyed creature.

"Let us be away from this place and back inside the gates of Hogwarts," Snape replies.

I will not argue that, for I there is nothing I want more than to be surrounded by the safe walls of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I give no thought to my next action, though later that night it will fill my dreams with blissfulness, I am certain, but I reach out, slipping my tiny hand inside Snape's large hand. There is no way to overlook the fact that our hands fit perfectly, like two pieces of the same puzzle. There is intensity, a sizzling feeling, erupting through my body. I raise my eyes, fearful of what emotion will be playing on Snape's face, what emotion will I be able to recognize?

He does not look at me, but ahead to our path. I feel as if this is a positive sign, for the connection between us has not been severed. Calmness passes over my head, causing me to forget all that just happened. But I make the mistake of turning around, only to find I am staring at those red eyes.

"Hurry," Snape mumbles.

We begin to hurry, until we are in a full-out run. Still, our hands remain as one. Snape locks my fingers against his in a deathlike grip, until we pass the gates of Hogwarts. We turn swiftly, as Snape raises his wand, but are met with the darkness of the night. There is nothing there, no red eyes or mysterious creature. I wonder if we saw anything at all. I am certain the eyes were there, certain of what I saw, but all I see is black now. I make myself believe I am, in fact, seeing things, for the alternative is to believe that someone is following us…or in particular, someone is following me!

**Reviewwwwww! Next chapter will be out shortly…hopefully.**


	3. The Cave

**Sorry it's taken me a while to update. I've been in the hospital with my six year old daughter. She had strep throat and became severely dehydrated, so I've been dealing with that all weekend! As always, thanks for the reviews and taking time to read the story. We got some exciting chapters coming out after this one! I can't wait to get cracking on them. So much is in store! As for now, enjoy this chapter…**

"I need coffee…now. Why can't they serve coffee," I mumble, my face already falling towards my outstretched arms. The Great Hall shines too brightly in the early hours of Friday morning. My eyes feel as though they are being fried. All I want to do is climb back in my bed and forget everything I must do today. Not even the thought of spending time with Snape helps the sleepiness evaporate. I'm dozing off, when someone sits down beside me with a plump. I feel it vibrate throughout my body and I raise my head with a start.

"Hey, hey, it's just me," someone says to my left.

I feel relief at once when Neville's voice breaks through the fog in my mind. It wasn't the red-eyed creature coming for me after all. I breathe in my nose-out through my mouth-and back through my nose, until I feel my heart calm down. I don't stop, until my heart stops hammering against my chest. I spent most of last night looking through the darkness of my room, hearing every little unexpected sound. Several times, I could've sworn that I saw a pair of red eyes looking at me. Needless to say, I sit at breakfast with absolutely no sleep. So, I look around me at the sea of students filing in for breakfast.

To be present in the Great Hall, one would not know where one House ends and another begins. It is the one proud achievement of my generation. We learn to look past what is supposed to define us. It is a time when Slytherin and Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sit side by side. It all began my first night at Hogwarts during the Sorting Hat ceremony. The teachers looked on, surprised, and in Snape's case…anger, as we stood up and made our way towards our new friends. The four House tables ceased to exist that very day. Of course, there are still feelings of competition, feelings that one House has an advantage over the other, but it doesn't get too serious. Take for instance, my group of friends made up of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Normally, we should be rivals, enemies, but my time at Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without my closest friends. My generation is not defined by the House we belonged to, but by loyalty and friendship. I say I am lucky on both accounts.

Crabbe and Goyle sit across me, Draco's closest friends. Though I try not to let my eyes remain on Crabbe too long, I do give him a small smile. As usual, his face lights up like the floating Christmas trees that adorn the Great Hall in winter. I turn away immediately, not wanting to lead him on. Though I care a great deal for Crabbe, my feelings are only that of friendship. I know what unrequited love feels like, how much it can hurt, and I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to make him feel what I feel when my eyes travel to the teacher's table.

Beside Crabbe and Goyle sits the comedians of our group. Fred and George Weasley, two of the funniest people I know. When I feel my mood turning dark, I know to seek these two out as soon as possible. They have always turned my frown into a smile. Even now, I know they are working on the next gag to sell to unsuspecting first-years. There isn't a doubt in my head that one of these days they will become famous for their gadgets and ideas. Though I will never admit this to them, I am so proud of them.

The next three sitting to my left is Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. These three are the sensible ones of the group. I like to think I fit in with this category as well, but I'm afraid I don't. Though I think certain situations out reasonably, I don't rationalize them half as much as these three do. They fit our group well, for they keep us grounded in ways we cannot keep ourselves grounded. Hermione and I are the only females of our group; therefore we stick together on most subjects. Not all, of course, and I remind myself that she wants to go along with Neville's plan.

Neville Longbottom completes the circle of friends my cousin and I associate with. He sits to my right, as close to me as two lovers might sit close together, but Neville and I are not lovers, nor have we ever been. I can't deny that I've never had a crush on him, because I have, along with every other girl at Hogwarts. Neville is the guy you want to be with, or the guy you want to be like. But to us, his friends, he is the guy that will fiercely have your back in any situation. Time and time again, Neville has defended one of us from something meaning to hurt us.

Before I can put my fork full of food in my mouth, Neville leans over me, his arms going around my shoulder. It must be some sort of sign to the others, because they lean forward, their faces anticipating his plan. I realize this is where he will begin telling us what he has in store. This should be interesting, and I can't help my stomach doing somersaults. I scan the teacher's table, searching for probing eyes, but we are early and the teacher's table is not yet full of staff. So far, no one is watching.

"Okay, here's the plan," Neville says, leaning closer to everyone. The movement causes me to go with him, leaning in to Harry as I try to hold Neville's weight. He seems to not pay mine or Harry's protests any attention. "Tomorrow, when we head to Hogsmeade, we are going to take a little detour. Someone told me about caves on the outermost region of Hogsmeade, said they were below a cliff, so we will be well hidden. I say, we ditch our usual hangout in Hogshead and go explore the caves."

I realize no one answers, because they have given their vote on the plan…which was a vote of yes. Seems this has all been set up for me. Every pair of eyes looks at my face, waiting for my answer. I don't even know why they are asking me, because it doesn't matter what I say. They would go with or without me looks like, but I don't want to be left out, besides exploring those caves sounds sort of fun.

"I'm guessing you all have already said yes," I ask.

Each head begins to nod. Yes, they all have said yes. It is now up to me. I am the final word. I see excitement in their faces; see adventure just in our grasps. This is our last year at Hogwarts, so why not go out with a bang and explore all that we can. I do not want to look back years from now and regret anything I didn't do while at Hogwarts. It almost saddens me a little to think this way, but it also gives me the courage to nod my head in acceptance of Neville's plan.

"Alright, let's do it," I say with a smile.

My friends clap and whistle. Their excitement is evident, as Neville squeezes me into his side. I giggle, elbowing him playfully. It is then that my eyes drift to the teacher's table again. At once, I stare into black orbs, orbs I know all too well.

"We are being watched," Harry mumbles under his breath.

Everyone acts as though we find our food fascinating. Neville lets go of me at once, reaching for the scrambled eggs. I, on the other hand, keep my eyes glued on Snape. Though he may scare most of the students with that stare of his, I feel no intimidation. I feel surprise when I try to read his look and realize I can't. Again, another mystery look forms on his face. That is two days in a row, a record I think. Either I am losing my touch, or Snape has more feelings that he lets on. He notices that I am studying him and he looks away with a sharp movement of neck. The moment our connection is broken, I feel a sort of emptiness come over me, as if his eyes hold me in place.

Shaking it off, I turn and begin piling my plate with assorted fruits. I grab a bagel and some cream cheese, digging in with a soft sigh. Hogwarts always supplies us with the best food my taste buds can taste. The bagel is hot and fresh, mixing well with the strawberry flavored cream cheese.

"You think we're going to be able to do this without getting caught?" Hermione whispers.

"Yes," Neville hisses, "We've already been over this. Our plan is flawless. We get in to those caves, check them out and we're back inside the gates of Hogwarts before anyone is the wiser."

"What's so special about these caves, Neville?" Ron asks.

Neville stops eating, his fork full of eggs suspends in mid-air. "Really? Come on guys, don't you want to have fun before our last year at Hogwarts is over. Let's go out with a bang! Let's do something that we will never forget!" He says with enthusiasm.

"Yes, because diving into the Black Lake during the dead of winter wasn't remembrance enough," Fred says, his mouth full of food.

"Or the time we snuck into the Forbidden Forest just to see how far we could get," George chimes in.

"Don't forget the time we played hide-and-seek in the Room of Requirements and almost got stuck there forever," adds Draco.

"Alright, alright, I get it! But this will top all that other stuff. This…will be epic!"

I shake my head, a smile pulling at the corner of my lips. This is how all of Neville's schemes start out. Everything will end epically in his mind, but the truth is a little closer to reality, which will lead us all in detention, probably for the rest of our Hogwarts lives. Again, I ask myself why I'm going along with this crazy plan. It could mean nothing but disaster.

The rest of breakfast is filled with Neville planning every detail, right down to the moment we make our way over to the caves unnoticed. I hurry to eat me food, half-listening to what he's saying. Already, I'm thinking of ways to get out of going, but I know there are none. I'm stuck to this plan like glue, so I might as well suck it up and enjoy the last rendezvous with my friends.

Friday classes came and went in a blur of teachers talking and note writing. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, I punch Draco softly on the arm. The whole time Quirrell is trying to teach, his back turned towards us as he writes on the chalk board, Draco and a few other Slytherin begin through spit balls at the man's turban to see who can land a perfect strike. The man doesn't seem to realize, or if he does, he does a good job of not showing it.

The day seems to go by fast, as if Saturday can't wait to get here. My classes are finished for the day, and I head towards Snape's office. I roll my eyes as my heart skips a beat. I'm such a loser. He is waiting for me as usual, calling me in to his office with his low, deep voice. Right away, I begin my task of making Draught of Living Death, surprised that his stockpile is replenished. I do not ask how that's so, keeping my mind only on my task. I need no distractions at the moment, but it seems Snape doesn't realize that, because his next question almost causes me to tip the whole caldron over onto the floor.

"You are not too fond of Crabbe, are you?"

My hand slips from the instrument I am using to stir the contents of the potion. I'm in the middle of my third counter-clock wise motion when I it slips underneath the liquid. My eyes close immediately, knowing the sound I'm hearing in my ears is a sign of the liquid turning that thick black color I have come to despise. This makes the sixth time I have failed at Draught of Living Death, though I can't say this time is my fault. I turn in my chair, my face livid, though I try to hide it as best I can.

Snape is watching me, not looking one bit sorry or concerned that he has messed me up. I'm not sure how to respond, or why he is asking me in the first place. His eyes move from me to the ruined caldron in front of me. It is the only movement he makes. The look on his face, I recognize, though he seldom shows it. It's a look of genuine curiosity.

"I-I wouldn't say that," I answer.

He shows no sign that he hears me, just continues to stare. I wonder what he is thinking in his head, almost allowing the words to spill from my mouth to ask him, but I decide against it.

"It is obvious the boy cares a great deal about you, but you do not feel the same…correct?"

Okay, I feel taken aback by the subject we find ourselves discussing. I look everywhere but at Snape, so afraid he will look straight through me. I'm afraid he'll look into my mind and see where my heart truly lies. How embarrassing would that be? I feel my cheeks grow hot, perspiration forming above my lips.

"I do care about Crabbe, but not like he would like," I answer, my eyes staring at Snape's Adam's apple.

Snape nods his head once. "I see. Well, you are too good for him anyway," he says, rising from his chair. My eyes grow wide and I can't help but to look into his face. He is not looking at me, but looking as if he is leaving the room. As he gets to the door, he stops and turns to me. Our eyes meet in an intense stare. "I dare say any male at the school would not be good enough for you," he whispers before walking out without looking back.

I freeze, too stunned to move or call out to stop him from leaving. _What does that mean?_ My head asks over and over. By the time I do get to my feet and walk into the classroom, Snape is just walking through his personal door towards his room. I know I cannot follow, though I walk towards the door anyway. My heart hammers in my chest, my blood pumping loudly in my head. Standing before his personal door, I lay my hand on its cool surface, as if I have the power to summons him back with just a touch of the door. Why would he say that and then just leave? Is it another test? If it is, I have failed miserably again. The caldron is ruined for good, more ingredients wasted.

After several minutes, I realize Snape isn't coming back. The tutoring session is over, though I don't think it ever began. In utter confusion, I turn and leave the room. It all happens so fast that I can't read his facial expressions, so I don't know what he is thinking when he speaks his words. Is it words of a concerned mentor, or is it something more? I refuse to allow myself to consider that just a little piece of Snape is becoming jealous of Crabbe's attention, or any other of my guy friends' attentions. He never shows me any sign that he considers me anything more than a gifted student, but just for a moment, I heard something different in his words. It is no secret that a connection has always been there between us, but there has never been anything more than just a connection. Snape has never made me question anything he feels before…until now.

I hurry through the dark dungeon, up the stairs into the halls of Hogwarts and straight to one of the side doors. I need air now, feeling as if I am smothering. I can't exactly say what is happening to me, but I feel as if I am going to split in two. I hear his words over and over, hear the soft whisper he gives me and it sends chills down my spine. I burst outside, feeling the gusty wind hit my flustered cheeks immediately. The coolness helps to calm me down, though it does not stop my mind from playing Snape's words over and over.

"Stop it, Aileen! You are completely off your rocker if you think he feels anything more for you than a teacher would!" I hiss.

I stand in the wind for a long time, trying to calm my nerves and my heart. No matter how much I want to believe that he allowed it to slip that he actually cares more for me than I imagine, I know the truth is he is just trying to be complimentary and friendly…yet when is Snape ever complimentary and friendly? He does not speak just to hear himself talk. Usually, he tells you exactly what he is thinking. If that is the case, does that mean he actually_ was_ paying me a compliment? Was he showing me he was jealous?

"No, he isn't jealous. You're acting as if he just confessed his undying love for you!" I whisper.

My argument with myself continues as the wind picks up. My long, black hair is flipping in every direction, yet the coolness of the night is working. I feel the heat in my cheeks calm, the heat in my ears disappear. No matter what Snape was trying to say, the truth of it is, he never admitted anything that would make me believe he thinks of me as I think of him. Like a balloon that has been popped, I feel myself deflate, realizing I am reading more in to the situation that I need to. With a long, deep sigh, I turn and walk back into the school and towards my room. Perhaps a good night's sleep will do me some good and I can forget this whole thing ever happened.

* * *

><p>Professor Quirrell, McGonagall, Sprout and Snape watches the students closer than usual. We are on the road to Hogsmeade and I can't help but notice that Snape hasn't said two words to me. I do not approach him, because I do not know what to say. Instead, I turn and look at Neville, who looks more nervous than usual. His eyes are moving from one teacher to the other and I know what his head his thinking. He is trying to figure out how we are going to dodge the eyes of the teachers to get to the caves. I laugh to myself, wondering if Grandfather Dumbledore has an idea of what we are planning and that is why the number of teachers has doubled for this trip to Hogsmeade.<p>

"This is hopeless. Neville's going to get us all in trouble," Draco mmbles.

"You are just realizing that now? I tried to tell you and everyone else this!" I hiss.

Draco, Hermione and I walk in the middle of the large group of fifth, sixth and seventh-year students. Behind us, a couple of rows back, are Harry and Ron. Directly behind them are Fred, George, Crabbe and Goyle. They all look as nervous as I feel. Walking in front of us, almost neck and neck with the Snape is Neville. His eyes continue to move from one teacher to the next. I pray he realizes his plan isn't going to work, but I find as the day continues, the plan is going to happen no matter what.

We have been in Hogsmeade for almost an hour as I leave Hogshead on my own. Though I can ignore my friends and stay safely inside the pub, I know I will not be able to face them if something happens and I'm not there, whether that something be good or bad. I am in shock at how cold the day has become. It is spring, yet it feel like winter. I wonder if it will storm later and that will explain the drop in temperature, or the greyness of the skies and air around Hogsmeade.

I walk down the cobblestoned road, heading to the meeting point that is set up for us all to go to in exactly five minutes. As I pass the residence of Hogsmeade, I see their faces. They look around them, some looking towards the greying sky, and all wear a look of concern. Several huddle in quite chatter. I can barely hear them, but a few words sticks out. Words like, _"Unnaturally cold…Something is amiss."_

It goes on like this, until I reach the end of the cobblestone, at the point where it turns to grass. I turn one last time, looking behind me to make sure I am not being followed. I am safe, for no one is in my eyesight. I turn and run towards the last rows of trees on the right side of the main section of Hogsmeade.

I sprint towards cover, my chest rising and falling with my breathing. I wait a few moments, seeing if I can hear footsteps behind me, but all I am met with is the sound of the wind. In this section of Hogsmeade, it seems the sun doesn't like to shine. It is dark and colder than other sections. Shaking my head, thinking I've completely lost my mind, I run towards the place we are to meet.

As the cliffs come in to view, I notice everyone has made it and I'm the last to show. When they hear my footsteps, everyone turns abruptly. I'm sure they are expecting me to be one of the teachers…perhaps even Snape, but as soon as they see it is me, their faces relax. As soon as I make it to them, I stop and bend over, placing my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Neville doesn't give me long before he is giving his commands on how to reach the caves below us.

"I swear, If I die trying to get down there, I will haunt you for the rest of your life, Longbottom!" Ron says through gritted teeth.

"You won't die! Just do what I tell you and climb where I tell you to climb and it will be a piece of cake," he answers.

The climb down isn't a piece of cake. We all, several times, begin to slip. Loose rocks fall down the side of the cliffs, causing Harry and Fred to almost lose their hold completely. Hermione begins to have second thoughts, begging us to go back up, but we are almost there and no one has the strength to go up. By the time my feet hit the ground, my hands are bleeding with cuts. Both of my knees are showing through my torn pants. Blood oozes from jagged cuts. It burns like hell, but otherwise, I am unharmed.

Looking around us, I notice we are at the edge of a lake, probably one that flows into the Black Lake. The water is calm, as if it realizes intruders are present. The cliff we just climbed down expands from one long side to the other, and I wonder where this cave is that Neville wants us to go to. I do not have to wonder long as I notice a dark hole to our left. The mouth of the cave is wide and tall. I am in shock to realize how big the cave looks from the outside.

"There it is," Neville says low, pointing to where I am already staring.

We begin to walk as one; a shot of excitement electrifies the air around us. Though I still think we are complete idiots for doing this, I cannot help but feel a little curious. When we reach the mouth of the cave, a cool, wet breeze blankets us in light mist. My hair is damp immediately, clinging to the skin of my face. I brush it from my eyes as I step in behind my cousin.

Neville leads the group, his wand held high and shining light on our path. The walls of the cave are made with some sort of black granite, though I cannot get a good look at what it is. My feet walk on something soft and I realize it must be mud. The smell of stale water and salt reaches my nose. The echoes magnify as we walk completely into the cave. _There's no going back now_.

The temperate has fallen even further the deeper we walk into the cave. It's becoming harder to see a few feet in front of me. I wonder how in the world I could have forgotten my wand. I realize, after looking around, I am not the only one who forgot their wand.

The sound of dripping water assaults our senses. The path we are walking down begins to grow narrow, until we are walking in a straight line. My hand glides over the sides of the cave, feeling the cold and wetness. The further we walk the more narrow the trail gets, until suddenly it begins to open back up. Before we know it, we are standing at an intersection. There are five different paths to take.

"So, which way do we go?" Goyle asks.

"We split in to five groups of two. Crabbe and Goyle, you go this way," he says, pointing towards the first path. "Harry and Ron, take that way." He points towards the second path. "Fred and George…there. Hermione and Draco, you two take that way and Aileen and I will go for the last path."

I want to protest immediately, not feeling comfortable with being in dark, damp spaces with Neville Longbottom, but I remember that he has a wand. Suddenly, I'm okay with it.

He takes my hand, guiding me towards the last path. At first, it doesn't look any different than what we've already seen. That all changes the moment we walk deep on the path. I want to ask where we are going, but I'm too afraid my whispers will sound like shouting in this place. I have no doubt live things make this cave home and I do not want to wake them.

I do not expect for what happens to happen next. Ahead of us, like a beacon in the night, something glows bright blue. In excitement and curiosity, we hurry towards the light. We come into a room, the bright blue light intensifies. All around us, on the walls and above our heads, sits what could only be described as blue icicles. It is a crystal of some kind, its beautiful skin becoming hypnotizing. I hear Neville suck in a breath of surprise. His eyes are as big as my own. I can't help but to tear my hands from his grasps and walk to a cluster of blue crystals. I reach out, feeling the sudden urge to touch them, needing to do nothing else but feel their coolness. It surprises me how bitter cold they are and how rugged and sharp the tips are.

I am so caught up in staring at the blue light, that I do not hear the rumble when it starts. Neville, too, seems to be so caught up in the beauty of the room, but he comes to his senses before I do. He calls my name, but I am too distracted by the sizzle the blue crystal in my hand causes me. It feels like a soft shock, yet it is addictive. Not until the rumble began to grow to within a piercing sound, does my fuzzy mind begin to clear.

I turn swiftly towards Neville, wanting to walk back to him, but his hands shoot up, stopping me in place. "Do...not...move!" he whispers ungently.

It is too late. I pick my foot up and when I place it back in the soft mud, the earth below me opens up. I scream, unable to stop myself, as I feel my body falling. I am being swallowed up by the cave and I have to watch as the bright-blue room disappears above me. I hear Neville scream my name, but it, too, disappears above me. This will be the way I die. My body will slam into the cave's floor with a bone-shattering crunch and I will be no more.

I brace myself, and though I hit harder than was healthy for me, I lay on the ground heaving a breath in and out. I am still alive. What surprises me is the blue light is present in this room with me, but I realize it is only become I hold one of the blue crystals in my hand. I have a flashlight to get me out, though I don't know how long it will last.

Climbing to my feet, I wince as I put pressure on my right ankle. _Must have sprung my ankle. _I turn slowly in a circle, trying to see if anything looks familiar. Nothing sticks out in my mind, so I hold the blue crystal out before me and begin to walk. I can barely make out Neville's voice screaming my name.

Something moves behind me and I jerk around, a scream on my lips. I do not see anything at first. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I notice something bending before me. There is a part of the darkness that looks blacker. I hold the blue crystal out further in front of me to shine its light on what could be producing that black shape. To my horror, the blue light is extinguished immediately. I and trust into darkness so palpable it is as though it has its own heartbeat.

"Hello?" I whisper hoarsely.

The black shape does not respond, nor does it move. I start to question whether it is there or not. There is only one way to answer that question and I know I must walk towards what I cannot make out. I am shaking from head to toe and I feel new cuts and gashes on my face allowing my blood to seep down the side of my face.

I am inches from the black mass and I reach my hand out, begging for the sight to be just a large rock. If it is anything else, I do not think I will survive. I think about all the animals that could be living in the cave. Will I be supper for one of those animals?

My hands gently grab silk, causing my eyes to grow wide. The feeling is so soft and warm compared to the jagged and cold cave. My surprised feeling last for just a moment as the black mass moves. I feel the muscle and bones moving with the action. Stumbling back, I watch wide-eyed as the black mass stands to full height. It is at least eight feet tall. Slowly, it begins to turn, until it stands face to face with me. The moment I look into its eyes, I begin to scream a blood curdling scream. This place was a tomb and it would be the place that I was going to lose my life for sure.

Standing before me, was the same red eyes I came face to face with in the pub that night with Snape.

**OOOOO….Aileen's in trouble now! Get those reviews in and I might have another chapter up shortly, say tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks y'all!**


	4. Aileen At Last

**J. K. Rowling…yada, yada, yada! Y'all all know she owns everything! Heck, she might even own Aileen, who knows! Wonder if I would have won the Mega Millions if she would have sold the rights to me! It's a good thought! On with the show and get those reviews going people! I need to see them! **

I hear screaming above my head, even as I myself am screaming. Others have joined Neville's voice as they scream my name. I cannot see them, being as far down as I am, but I can hear them. My whole attention is pointed straight at the red eyes in front of me and the owner of those red eyes. I do not remember him being this huge, this tall, but he was sitting the last time I saw him. Still, he is different somehow. My fear is a crushing weight upon my shoulders. My screams do nothing to save me from the horrible situation I find myself in.

Something jets out from behind the red-eyed thing's back. In the darkness, it is hard to see what it is, but the sound of fluttering reaches my ears and I realize the thing is sprouting wings. The blue crystal slips from my hands and crashes to the ground with a loud thump. My light is immediately extinguished, which makes my fears shoot towards the hole above my head. I must run, get as far away from this thing as possible.

I turn, not quite knowing where to go, just knowing I need to go. My hands shoot out before me, reaching for anything to guide my way. The mud under my feet is slippery and I almost slip several times. I regain my footing and press on, getting away from the thing behind me. My hand begins to touch something jagged and I realize it is the cave's wall. I use it to guide me forward. All the while, I hear the fluttering behind me, knowing the creature is following close behind. I am trapped, there is no denying it. I do not know where to go, do not know how to exit the cave, and being this far down, I doubt there is an exit. The screams of my friends grow dimmer as I continue running. I do not want to get to a point where I can no longer hear them, but I know I must.

Suddenly, I hit something hard in front of me. Terror hits me as I realize I've come to a dead end. I beat on the jagged wall, trying to find a weakness. I try to find a way around it, but I realize I am trapped. The fluttering is close to me now. It's right at my back and I know I have no choice but to turn and face my emanate death. I turn, just making out the large, black mass in front of me.

The space I'm in begins to glow, as if a veil is lifted from my eyes. I begin to be able to see clearly, which isn't a good thing. It allows me to see the creature just a few feet away from me. I am right about his height, for he stands at least eight feet tall. Black wings jet out from his back almost covering the entire space around him. His large frame is covered in flowing black robes. On top of his head, a hood is pulled over only revealing his dark face. His red eyes are unnaturally large. He is both beautiful and frightening all at once. I feel drawn to him, but also I feel repulsed by him.

"Please," I whisper hoarsely.

He begins to smile. His teeth are long and as jagged as the walls of the cave. They glow as white as I have ever seen teeth glow. His smile does not calm my raging terror but only makes it worse. I scream, for I cannot stop the sound from falling from my lips. I know that I will die. In seconds, I think of my friends, my family…Snape. Will they know how I met my demise? Will there be anything left to recover once the creature has finished with me? I want to scream of the injustice of it all, want to scream I am too young to die.

"Let me go," I beg.

"Let you go?" he responds. I hear a multitude of voices as he speaks, as if several different people are speaking at once. The chorus of voices makes my skin crawl, as if tiny spiders are crawling up and down my arms. I cannot help but to reach out and rub them, if only to assure myself that the spiders are in my head. The creature takes a step towards me, which causes me to slam into the wall behind me. The jagged edges of the wall dig into my back and I cry out in fear and pain, but I do not remove myself from the wall. If I could melt into those jagged edges just to get away from this horrifying creature I would.

"I was kicking myself for allowing you to leave my presence the other night, thinking it was the perfect opportunity. I had no idea you would come to me next," he says.

"What do you want from me?" I cry.

His smile grows unnaturally wide, stretching the skin over his teeth to its breaking point. He looks evil and menacing. "I am hurt that you do not remember me, Aileen. No matter, I remember you and soon, you will remember everything," he says in mock offense.

I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling how dry it is becoming, as if I haven't drunk in weeks. I am shaking from head to toe, even my teeth are chattering. The creature said my name, but how does he know me. I cannot recall Snape saying my name the other night in the pub. If my name was never said, how, then, does he know who I am?

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice shaking.

"I am inevitability, unstoppable, certain, your death and absolute. Take your pick little human. But, if you must call me something, you can call me…Death."

I begin to shake my head. The movement starts out slow, but soon it picks of speed, until my vision is blurred by the speed at which I move my head. I cannot believe it. I won't believe it, though I know deep down inside me that he is telling the truth. I am looking Death in the face. The realization is more than my small mind can take and I feel myself breaking. I am losing touch with what is reality, what is real.

"No…you don't. You do not get to go out that easy," he says, the voices dropping an octave in anger.

I feel a prying in my mind, bringing me back from the breaking point to the here and now. I am once again face to face with large red eyes in a cave I should have never gone in. Tears blind my sight, my only saving grace to where I do not have to look at the creature completely. If he wishes to kill me, why does he not go ahead and finish it?

"You must be wondering why this is happening, no?" he asks.

I nod my head, too fearful to speak. Yes, I want to know what I did to deserve my death at this time in this place. I cannot think of anything that I've done that would make me deserve such a death.

"You do not remember what you cost me, do you little human? You do not remember the feast I was enjoying on the souls of the dead, until you decided to ruin everything for me. You have no idea what you took from me, no idea how I had waited for all of those souls to come to me and in the blink of an eye, you took them back."

My face scrunches up in confusion. What on earth was he talking about? Something tickled in the back of my head, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. "I've done nothing against you," I whisper.

His smile fell ever so slowly, turning into a dark, horrible glare. I feel it pass straight through me, as if it were the sharp tip of a blade. My breath is caught in my throat, hanging there without release. My lungs begin to scream for release and more oxygen, but I can't seem to accommodate them. It is as if something is on my throat, like a hand that squeezes. I realize, with terror, that the creature who calls himself Death is doing something to me. His glare deepens, until the hatred he looks at me with is as piercing as the hold on my neck.

"You disrespect me, little human, by your little mind and lack of memory. You should not have forgotten so easily. Maybe if your feeble mind would have remembered, you would not be finding yourself in this position. However, if I must help you to remember I will do just that."

At once, the pressure on my throat eases and I breathe in a huge amount of oxygen. My lungs burn with the need for more and I oblige without hesitating. The creature has turned its back on me, walking away. For a wonderful moment, I feel as though it will leave me in peace, but the next few seconds I realize that I am horribly mistaken.

The creature turns on me at once, his red eyes staring hatred into my eyes. I think I know what will happen next, yet after it is all said and done, I will realize that I could not have imagined what was to happen.

"You…will remember what you cost me and what I will now take from you," he whispers.

Searing pain, that which I have never experienced before, came crashing down upon my skull sending me to my knees at once. I do not feel myself sink into the soft mud, for the pain is all that I know. I grab my head as my mouth comes open in a gut-retching scream. I want the pain to stop…need the pain to stop, but it does the total opposite. It begins to build. My fingernails dig into my scalp, as if I could scrape the pain away. I pull at my hair trying to ease the pressure.

Suddenly, a light bursts behind my closed eyes and I am suspended in midair. I see a building before me, It is name written in black. **Home for the Lost Children, Hope for the Future**. There is a girl there, a girl I recognize immediately. She is walking away with someone I know with every fiber of my being. Snape is there with a girl that looks so much like me. As soft as a whisper, I begin to remember the scene. This was the day Snape took me from the orphanage towards Diagon Alley.

I scream again, as if remembering intensifies the pain. I feel as if I'm splitting in two. My body burns with the feeling of fire licking at my skin. Yet, the visions continue. With every scene that plays in my head, it brings with it the knowledge of remembrance. I am thrust into a world I have longed forgotten, because it should never have existed. With the ticking away of the seconds, I am shown my first year at Hogwarts. I am shown my second, and my third, and my fourth and so on. In seconds I am shown everything I have forgotten. I am shown death in the form of Sirius' last breath, of Dumbledore and Tonks and Lupin. I am remembering every life lost to me, every soul taken too early. I remember my parents and their cruelty, of Harry and his sacrifice.

I scream at Death to make it stop; beg him to make the pain ease, but all I get for my begging is his laughter. The sound alone makes my skin crawl and yet, the pain continues on. I am forced to relieve a nightmarish world that I cannot remember, yet I am beginning to. I realize that the act of remembering is forcing my soul to split in two. It is the cause of the red-hot, searing pain, but the images continue.

I see Draco's betrayal and also his salvation. I see Fred lying on the floor completely still…dead. The Great Hall is covered with the dead and the mourners. The school that I love with all of my heart sits in rubble, its walls completely blown away. I remember the war that took place on the doorsteps of Hogwarts. I remember how my father was at the head of it all. The pain increases as the scene turns to my parents and how they tortured me ruthlessly. My father is unrecognizable, my mother looks crazed. I do not know these two standing over my bloody body, yet I remember what they did to me.

Again, I scream for Death to make it stop. I have seen enough. I do not want to see anymore more. Death is right at my ear, whispering to me above my screams, telling me that I must watch and remember. I do not want to watch anymore. I do not want to remember anymore and I beg it to stop. I need relief from the pain, from the scenes playing in my frazzled mind.

Then, something happens, something I do not even think Death anticipated. The pain eases some, the feeling of being torn in two calms a bit. I find myself looking deep into black orbs. I feel arms around me, pulling me into a safe warm place. There are lips upon me. It fills me with warmth…love. It is Snape, the one who has saved me from the pain. I see the first moment we meet, the first moment he protected me in Diagon Alley. I see the years passing and our bond growing. I see my forth-year and the night he rejects me at the Yule Ball, but only weeks late he confesses is undying love for me to save me from my father's clutches. We are in the forest behind Malfoy Manor and he is holding me so close. His words rush to my ears in a whisper, telling me how I am not like my father. Love bursts through my body, complete and utter love for Severus Snape and I remember everything about our life together in the old world. The love I had for him then is pouring over into this world and I cling to it, for it is the only protection I have against the searing pain trying to take me under. It works only for a moment, for Death calls down his final death-nail in the form of Snape's death. I relive that moment with tears of agony. I lose my grip on my love for Snape and am thrown back into the pain.

"They all died right in front of you and there was nothing you could do to stop it," Death hisses in my ear.

I grab a hold of the front of his black robes, pleading with him to make it stop, though I know he will not listen.

"No, not until the transformation is done," he whispers so softly. It is the first time he sounds kind.

I am burying Snape as the raindrops fall towards the earth. I am surrounded by all that knew him, all that knew the truth of how he protected them and gave his life for them all. I cry out, for I do not want to relive this any longer. It is as horrible now as it was then. My mind begins to scream at me for what I just said. _It is as horrible now as it was then._ I realize, in terror, what Death means by the "transformation". I realize why I feel the pain, why I feel the heat. It is only too late that I figure out what Death is doing to me and there is no way of stopping it. The girl I used to be, the girl from the new world is slowly dying away, only to be replaced by who I was in a world that never should have existed.

"You remember that time, because you are from that time now, Aileen," Death whispers, as if he can read my mind.

I am Aileen Krimbling Malfoy Riddle, an orphan left on the doorstep of an orphanage by Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. I am the daughter of the most evil Wizard to ever live. He was once known as Tom Riddle, but he goes by another name…Voldemort. I am the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange, a deranged psychopath. I came to Hogwarts late in life…the age of thirteen. Every year, I was force to fight evil to survive. I watched the people I love die or turn against me. My parents tried to kill me and almost succeeded. I was going to be adopted by Sirius, but he was murdered by my mother before he had a chance to sign the papers. I fell in love with Severus Snape and him with me…but he was murdered by my father. He died in my arms.

"You are remembering," Death says, his laughter ringing through my ears.

Yes, I am remembering…everything. I remember standing in the Forbidden Forest seeing all the people my father had murdered and knowing there was something I could do to change it all. I remember standing there watching my father being blown to pieces, watching the evil inside of him die away. All of those people who died, I can't help but to remember. But I remember going back and changing it all. I remember going back in time and saving my father, thus saving them all. It is for this reason Death has come for me. As the last of the scenes fill my head, I know my transformation his complete. It feels like waking from years of black sleep. It is as if I have been dead until this point. My eyes come back into focus and I feel more alive that I have ever felt. Death and I look at one another and he sees the change in my eyes. His smile is back on his dark face, an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Aileen…at…last," he says so soft and with such reverence.

I stare at him, numb. Slowly, I feel myself becoming confused as my soul tries to patch itself back together. The past seventeen years that I've just experienced becomes a haze, a cloud that is blown away with the breeze. The scenes I have just witnessed are what is left in my mind. I _am_ that girl from orphanage. I _am _the daughter of pure evil. I _am_ the lover of Severus Snape. I have lost and loved and now I have awakened from what feels like a long sleep.

"Now you know what you have cost me," Death says.

Yes, I do know what I cost him. My next question, though I do not ask, is what is that going to cost me? Death circles me as I stare numbly before me. I am still on my knees, still waiting for the last of my memories to settle in place. The pain has weakened some, but it has left my soul shattered and my head aching. I cannot feel anything but numbness, as if I lay on my arm too long and now I command it to move. I do not feel fear, do not feel a thing. Death comes back around to stand before me. His red eyes are still just as angry as before, but his voice is soft and friendly.

"I will not take you today, Aileen. No, I want you to suffer before I bring you into my side. I want you to know of the world you have created, know of the fairytale you could have had. At the end, you will be kicking and screaming as I take you away. Seven days from this moment at the stroke of eleven fifty-nine, I will come back for you. I give you seven days to see the ones you took from me, to feel them close to you again and then I will snatch you away from happiness. You will suffer in the next few days with every happy moment you will have, for in the end, you know I will return to take it all from you. That…will be your punishment for your crimes against me. Say your goodbyes, live in a world that you only dreamed of before, but know that I will return and you cannot stop me."

With the sound of his final word, my transformation-mind, body and soul-is complete, yet I still feel numb. What he was saying should scare me, but I only look at him. He smiles at me again, running one, long finger down my cheek. The feeling is so cold it burns my skin. What has he done to me?

With a blink of the eye, Death is gone. The glow of the room slowly disappears, thrusting me into darkness again. The only sound I hear is my own heavy breathing. I cannot remember how I got down here, can't even remember where I am. The more I try to think, the worse my head hurts. I begin to hyperventilate as the last few minutes become a blur and I cannot remember what to do.

"What's the last thing I remember?" I frantically say to myself.

As I think, it comes to me. I exhale with force as the memory plays in my mind. I am in Dumbledore's office with my father in my arms. I hand him the bundle, knowing I am about to die. Dumbledore has promised me that it will work, that everyone will be saved, but something horrible hits me.

"If I'm still alive, then that means…"

I scream, for I don't know what else to do. I know my heart is pumping, know there is air in my lungs, which means I am still alive, and going back in time to save everyone didn't work. I should be nonexistent if it had worked. They are all still dead if I am alive. Tears pour down my cheeks at the unfairness of it all. I tried…I tried to save them all. Suddenly, I feel my head grow dizzy, my body feeling faint. I feel unconsciousness trying to suck me in. I fall forward, hitting the soft mud with a slap. My eyes stare into darkness as my reality comes crashing down upon me. Somewhere, in the effort of going back in time, I failed. I failed so miserably that I am stuck in darkness forever. With every breath my body breathes, it is a reminder that Snape is dead. With every tear that falls from my eyes, it is a reminder that I will never get to feel his arms around me again, to feel his lips upon mine. I have failed him and everyone else, for as long as I live, they will be dead. The Time Turner obviously did not work.

"Severus," I scream in raw agony.

I am forced to live in a world where he doesn't exist, because I have failed to save him. I beg for death, beg for nothingness. Snape's face is the last thing I see before oblivion takes me over. The last thing I think of is how I will never see him again. Yet, before I forget it all, I think I hear voices close to me. I think I hear my name and hear footsteps, but I will never know, because finally, I give in to the darkness.

**OUR AILEEN IS BACK! What a wakeup call she is gonna have when she awakes! What do you think is going to happen when she sees everyone she thinks is dead? Think she will feel she is going crazy? What about Death, what's he playing at? He's given her seven days…that's just too cruel! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to God it wasn't confusing. If you have any questions or didn't understand something…send me a pm and I will be happy to answer it. If you understood it perfectly then…YAY! As always, I look forward to reading y'all's reviews! **


	5. Unbelievable

**Hello all! Thanks so much for the reviews! I love you guys. The ones that have stuck with me faithfully and have fallen in love with Aileen and Snape…I thank y'all for hanging in there with me. We have a lot more to come and some wonderful moments with these two. For all the ones that have added this to your favorites and alerts…thanks to you as well! I love the reviews as well. They keep me going! If you haven't reviewed, please do so…would love to hear from you! Thanks so much and on with the show…**

The peacefulness of the darkness is slowly ebbing away. I'm becoming aware of my own body, every ache and pain screaming from my limbs. It takes me several minutes before I am fully awake, though I do not open my eyes. I wonder if I'm still in the darkness, but I know something is different. I can see light shining past my closed eyelids. I am no longer lying on my stomach, no longer sinking into the mud. Instead, I am laying on something soft and warm. I can't help but snuggle a little deeper into whatever it is I'm lying on. I feel the warmth of the sun soaking into my skin and it feels magnificent. Whatever this place is, I can only think of one word to call it…Heaven.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I begin to open my eyes, first the right, then the left. I am staring at a wide, open window. It is the reason I feel such warmth. The sun plainly shines through the paned glass. My next order of business is to look around and see where exactly I'm at. My eyes dart around me, seeing a familiar room. It almost reminds me of…

"The hospital wing," I whisper, my eyes growing wide.

"Oh, good! You're awake, dear!"

I stifle a gasp as someone speaks behind me. I jerk my head around and come face to face with someone familiar. The last time I saw this person, she was hurrying around the Great Hall, desperate to help all that she could. She looked unwell then, but now, she looks peaceful, happy. I do not know what to say, do not know how to speak at the moment. Seeing this woman only reminds me of her inability to help Severus, for he was already past her point of expertise. No one could have helped him…not even me.

"How are you feeling?" she asks me, yet I still cannot speak.

She stares at me, a look of expectancy on her face. She expects me to answer her question, yet I do not know how to answer. What do I tell this woman? Physically, though I feel like a freight train ran me over, I am fine. It is the mental part of me that has me concerned.

"Is it over?" I manage to whisper.

Her eyebrows knit together a fraction of an inch, as if she doesn't quite understand my question. How could she not understand? She was there. Dawning creeps into her eyes and I know I'm about to get the answer to my question, though I do not know if I will like what I hear.

"You are safe now, Aileen. You took a pretty nasty fall in that cave, but I think you will be just fine," she answers.

It is my turn to look confused. I stare at her, as if she speaks a different language, one that I've never heard before. _Cave? What cave?_ There is something she isn't telling me. She looks too put together and happy for what we've all just been through. There is not a scratch on her.

"I don't understand," I say, my mind screaming in confusion.

Madam Pomfrey cocks her head to one side, her eyes boring in to mine and yet, I feel she is still holding something back. What is it that she isn't telling me? Could it be that we actually lost the war? Is my father ruling over the Wizarding world with an evil, iron fist?

"You do not remember?"

I shake my head slowly, never losing eye contact with the woman. A look of worry passes over her face and it does little to calm the fears within me. I begin to wonder where everyone is. I realize I am in the hospital wing, which means I'm still at the school, but there is no sound other than mine and Madam Pomfrey's breathing. Did my father send everyone away and is keeping me prisoner here in the destroyed school?

"Oh, dear," Madam Pomfrey says. She turns her back to me, and I can hear her rummaging through something on the bedside table. "Do you know where you are, dear?" she asks me.

"H-Hogwarts."

"Do you know what transpired a little while ago? Can you remember anything at all?"

I begin to concentrate on the last memory I have, but I do not know what is real and what is fake. Again, I remind myself that since I'm sitting here breathing and very much alive, I wasn't able to save them. The Time Turner did not work. My family and friends continue to lie in their graves. So if I failed, where does that leave me in this life? At what point have I awoken to? Is the war raging on outside, even as I sit here, or has it ended one way or another. I remember that my father was defeated, but that does not mean by going back in time I didn't screw that up. A horrible thought hits me. What if I was successful in going back in time with the Time Turner, only to have changed everything for the worse? What if my father wasn't defeated after all, and what if I helped him to conquer this world?

"The war…is it over?" I ask before I can stop myself.

The woman stiffens immediately at my words. Her slender shoulders are rigid and somewhat slumped. Her hand is frozen on whatever task she was doing before I spoke. I wish I could see her face. By her reaction, it only makes my fears strengthen. If we would have won, and defeated my father, she would not hesitate to share the good news in happy celebration. Instead, she turned to me slowly. Her face is an open book that speaks of confusion, worry, pity and something that looks like fear.

"Oh God," I whisper, taking her look to mean my fears were correct.

"War?" she says softly. "There has been no war, child."

I do not know what to say to that. I am waiting for the next part, the _"but"_ to appear in her words that will signify more to what she is telling me. If there has been no war, does that mean it just hasn't started yet?

"V-Voldemort?" I say, the words trembling from lips.

Madam Pomfrey's face deepens in confusion. "Aileen, what day is it?" she asks me. Her words are too soft, too controlled. I look away from her, trying to find the answer to her question. The seconds tick away and I become increasingly agitated, for I cannot even remember what day it is. I look all around the room, as if the answer can be found somewhere around me.

"Sunday," I say. It was the first day that came to my mind, the day before the war started at the doorstep of Hogwarts. "Sunday…May first nineteen ninety-eight."

She sucks in a breath at my answer, which lets me know that it's wrong. Today is not Sunday. My head begins to pound viciously and I raise my hands to rub my temples. I am confused, scared, frustrated and totally lost. What on earth is going on?

"Dear, today is Saturday in the month of April, the day of the seventh."

My eyes grow wide at her blatant lie, but I do not know why she lies to me. Why is she so afraid to tell me the truth? I know what today is, know that if the war has not begun it is the day before, for it is the only memory that have come back to me at this time. It is my turn to gasp, because I see what she is trying to do. I've lost so many people I love. I've just lost Snape and she is afraid I'll break, which she might not be too off on that one. She is, on purpose, lying to me for my sake. I find myself living the worst day of my existence. The war is over, the people lost.

"Liar," I whisper to her. My anger begins to boil over as hot tears build in my eyes. I might be to my breaking point, but that gives her no right to lie to me about what has happened. How dare she act as though there has been no war! What does this woman take me for? She flinches at my harsh whisper. "They are all dead, aren't they?" I get out before a single tear runs down my face. I wish for the darkness, wish to go back to knowing nothing.

"Please, lie back on the bed, Aileen. I am concerned that you might have a head injury. Allow me to go and fetch your grandfather," she says, rising from her seat beside my bed.

"Grandfather?" I croak.

"Yes, he will know how to proceed from here. I fear that you might be in worse shape than we thought. Just lie back and relax and I will be only a moment. Professor Dumbledore will know what to do."

A sob escapes me before I can stop it. The sound halts Madam Pomfrey in her tracks as she turns towards me. Her face looks more concerned as the minutes pass, but I do not care. She speaks of Dumbledore in the present tense, as if he is close. She calls him my grandfather, and it's kind of confusing, but I do not care at the moment.

"Professor Dumbledore? Professor Dumbledore is alive?" I ask, my face beginning to smile.

Her eyes grow wide, her mouth coming open in shock. "Yes, child," she breathes. "He is quite alive."

I do not hesitate. I do not wait as she asks me to. I jump from the bed, stumbling a moment in dizziness. Madam Pomfrey hurries towards me, grabbing my arm to gently to support me. The whole time my head is reeling at what she has just told me. Dumbledore is alive and if Dumbledore lives perhaps others live as well. Perhaps…_He_ lives as well. I stop my mind's thinking right there. I cannot afford to get my hopes up. I am at the edge as it is. If I believe that Snape could possibly be alive and come to find that he is not, I will never survive it.

"Please, sit down!" she huffs at me.

There will be no chance of me lying back on that bed, not if Dumbledore is close by me. I must find him, must see for myself. As gently as I could, I push Madam Pomfrey's hand away from my arm. At first, she refuses to let go, but I tug my arm away from her one good time. She has no choice but to release me. I give her a quick apologetic look before walking past her. She lets me pass, though I feel her on my heels.

I walk slowly towards the hallways of Hogwarts. The moment my eyes see the perfectly erect walls, I cannot help but to close my eyes. The tears push past my close eyelids, running down my dirty cheeks and leaving a trail behind them. It is not real, cannot be real what I am seeing. The school that I remember being torn to oblivion stands strong and true. How on earth could that be? I stumble towards the opposite wall, my trembling hands reaching out to feel the wall's cool surface. There is no denying the solid texture. The walls are standing as strongly as ever.

"What on earth is going on," I whisper to the wall.

I begin to walk down the hallway, my hand steady on the wall. I cannot bring myself to let go, not just yet. Behind me, Madam Pomfrey stays close, no doubt wondering if I have lost my mind. If she only knew! If I could only explain! I feel myself growing dizzy, so I lean against the cool surface of the wall, my forehead resting gently. Madam Pomfrey grabs my arm softly and I turn to look at her through the tears.

"You are too weak to be walking around. Please, let us go back to the hospital wing and I will go and get Dumbledore at once."

"Aileen!"

I jump in surprise as my name is yelled down the hall. I turn to the owner of the voice, immediately recognizing him at once. I stare for a few seconds. The sight of him inside this place is both confusing and wonderful. Without thought, my feet begin to move towards him, a sob, again, spilling from my mouth. My heart begins to overflow with love and excitement and I cannot believe he is moving towards me as well. My very last thoughts were that I would never see his face again, but I cannot deny that he is here. He is no figment of my imagination, for I feel it in the very depths of my soul that he is here.

"Draco!" I cry as I begin to run towards my cousin, my best friend.

I throw myself into his waiting arms, crushing myself to him. His arms slide over me easily, his hold so tight I can barely breathe, but I do not care. There are no words to express my happiness at seeing him again. There are no words to describe the aching in my heart so raw it takes my breath away. He is rubbing my head, shushing my cries, but I cannot seem to stop my tears. I cling to him like a dying man clinging to life.

"You scared the hell out of me, you know that?" he says shakily.

"I told you I would come back," I whisper.

"Huh?" he says, leaning back to look at my face.

There are tears in his concerned eyes. I can do nothing but smile, do nothing but stare at his handsome face. He reaches up, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. "Are you hurt?" he whispers.

I shake my head no, for I cannot form words to speak. There is a lump in my throat so thick I'm afraid that I will choke on it. I watch my cousin. His face is calmer than I remember. His eyes are void of the uncertainty and fear I remember them having last time I saw him. His is a boy on the cusp of adulthood, yet he looks more mature than I can remember him ever looking. There are no signs of my father's influence on him and it causes me to sob again. He shushes me, but I can't seem to stop crying.

"Aileen? Hey everyone, Aileen's awake!"

I look over towards a side door, watching as several students begin running in. The first person I see is Ron. He is followed by Hermione, Harry, Neville, Goyle, Crabbe, George and Fred…Fred. I stop immediately on Fred. A gasp takes the place of my sobs and I take a step back from the group coming towards me. No, no, no, no…he is…dead! Draco reaches out to grab my arm, but I'm faster than he is. My eyes are wide and staring at the red-headed twin only a few feet away from me now. I saw his body on the Great Hall floor, saw his family weeping over him, yet he stands before me unharmed.

"Aileen?" Draco calls softly.

I cannot tear my eyes away from Fred, not until things begin to make sense, but I do not know if that's possible. _Maybe I'm going crazy_, I think.

"You're…you're…" I begin, but I cannot say the word dead.

"Handsome, I know!" Fred says with a toothy grin.

Laughter begins to bubble from my belly, rising towards my throat and out through my mouth. I laugh so hard that I must bend over, my arm holding my stomach tightly. The comment was so Fred. I am aware that all eyes are on me and that most of them are looking at me as if I have lost my mind, but I cannot stop the laughter. Yes, I think I have lost my mind.

"Aileen…how are you feeling?" Hermione asks as my laughter dies down.

When I look at the girl, I am brought up short again. The laughter immediately dies in my throat as I see her clinging to my cousin. My confused eyes turn immediately to Ron, who is not looking at his "girlfriend" in the arms of another man, but looking at me instead. It is as if he doesn't care that Hermione has her arms wrapped up in Draco's.

"What?" Ron asks, his face looking uncomfortable at my stare.

I weight my options, wondering if I should just come out and ask what's happened between them to cause Hermione to be with Draco…Draco of all people! How did that match happen? I decide it's best to be put on the backburner for right now. I will come back to it later.

"Nothing," I say softly.

I take in the seven people standing around me, watching me. I take in the closeness of Hermione and Draco. I take in the fact that Draco and Harry are standing beside one another without being close to killing each other. My eyes land on Harry and I cannot help but smile brightly at him. He smiles back, his face different from the others. He does not look at me in concern or confusion. Though he does not look as if he understands what is happening to me, his look is different I do know that. We share a brief nod, as if to say we both understand that we _don't_ understand anything at all!

Beside him stands Neville, sweet, uncertain Neville, but this Neville looks completely different. There is a confidence in his eyes that I do not remember being there before. He stands tall and sure of himself and his face has turned handsome. When our eyes meet, he smiles a breathtakingly, beautiful smile at me that I cannot resist returning. Who is he? He is not the accident prone little boy that I remember. He does not look nervous and scared of anything. I find that I like this "new" Neville quite a lot.

Next to him are the twins, Fred and George. Once again I turn towards Fred, in awe that he is standing before me and not in some shallow grave. Before I can stop myself, I begin to hope that others could be alive if Fred is alive himself. Could it possible? No, I still cannot give in to hope, not yet. In my mind, Snape is still dead. A pain shoots through my chest and I force Snape back into the darkness of my mind. The twins are staring at me, both wearing the same identical smile. Their smiles fill me like a beacon in the night calling a lost ship home. It is both warming and contagious. I cannot help but laugh when I notice the mischief in their eyes. Obviously, some things do not change.

As soon as my eyes travel to the last of the group, I lose all happiness. The smile completely falls from my face, being replaced by red-hot anger. My eyes darken immediately and I feel my pulse begin to race. The blood in my veins turns completely cold and I take a step towards the two before I realize what I'm doing. It only takes one word from Crabbe to set the events in motion.

"Aileen…" he begins.

I advance on him, like a lion advances on its prey. I mean to tear every piece of hair from his head. I mean to rip is eyes from their sockets. I mean to do him as much bodily harm as I possibly can. A memory floats to my mind. I am thrown on the Great Hall table as Crabbe climbs on top of me meaning to rape me. I can feel his horrible breath on my neck; feel his body smashing mine to the table. I see Goyle being his lookout while he tries to defile me, and if it hadn't been for Snape, he would have done just that. But my angel came and saved me again!

Before any of them can stop me, my fist meets the meaty part of Crabbe's cheek, sending him backwards and towards the floor. Rage has overtaken me, replacing all other emotions. My only thought is to pummel him until he is a bloody mess. I lose all reasonable thought, only feeling the anger. I hear Hermione scream, but it sounds far away. I see the twins jump from my path, see Goyle run away from me like the little scared boy he is. _Don't worry Goyle, you'll be next,_ I think. I am on top of Crabbe before any of them can blink and my fist comes down on him again. He is crying out, his arm rises in protection.

Someone grabs me from behind, jerking me away from a crying Crabbe. I kick and scream for them to release me. My anger is not sated yet, my rage not satisfied. Crabbe has not received what he so desperately deserves from me. I will make him pay for everything he did to me. I will make him pay for standing beside the man that murdered so many, that murdered my Snape.

"_Let me go!"_ I scream.

"Not until you calm down, Aileen!" Draco hisses in my ear.

The sound of his voice causes me to stop fighting, fearful that I will hurt him. My body calms immediately, but the war raging within me continues. My blood screams for Crabbe's pounding and I try to jerk away from Draco, but he is stronger than me. He holds me tightly to him, shushing me softly. Everyone is looking from me to Crabbe, a look of fear in their eyes. Crabbe lies on the floor, blood pooling from his nose. I am satisfied, somewhat, by the red liquid, but I still want to cause more damage.

"What did you do that for?" Goyle yells at me.

As soon as I hear his voice, the rage becomes too much and I begin fighting against Draco's hold. Several times, I am almost strong enough to break his arms away from me, but he tightens them, causing me to feel pain in my stomach. _"Let me go! I'll rip him to pieces, I swear I will!" _I scream again.

"Aileen, listen to me. I need you to calm down. Madam Pomfrey has gone to fetch a sedative. If you don't calm down, she will have you under before you know it. We just got you back. Don't force her to knock you out again!" Draco says urgently.

His words do the trick. The rage and anger calm down enough for me to begin to think straight. The bloodlust dies away, though I cannot force myself to look in the direction of Crabbe and Goyle. I am too afraid that the sight of them will cause me to lose control again. Out of the corner of my eyes, I watch Fred and George help Goyle stand Crabbe back on his feet. The boy is still crying and I find that I'm happy about that.

"If you as much as come near me, I will kill you," I ground out. I am not looking at Crabbe, but everyone knows my words are for him.

Crabbe takes a step towards me, and I look at him. As I thought, my rage boils over again and all thoughts of Madam Pomfrey and the sedative vanish. I begin to fight against Draco, almost winning the battle this time. I do not flinch, do not stop as the Fred, George and Goyle have to grab Crabbe as he advances on me. His face, bloody and all, look as I remember him. Anger is boiling in his eyes, spilling out just like his blood spills from his nose. His intentions are clear. He wants to pay me back for what I just did and I welcome him to try.

"Stop it, both of you just stop!" Hermione yells.

Her pleads go unheard as both Crabbe and I fight for freedom. Draco turns me around to where his back is turned to Crabbe. I stare down the empty hall, trying to fight my way back around. I am aware of what Draco is trying to do. He thinks if I can't see Crabbe I will calm down, but I can still hear him. He also thinks he is putting himself between me and danger, but I know I can take Crabbe. He will not hurt me, not ever again! My arms are trying to pry Draco's arms from my stomach, my legs kick about me. I can hear Crabbe fighting his captors off him as well. I've angered him…good! I'd rather beat an angered Crabbe than the blubbering baby he was just a few moments ago. My eyes close as I continue to fight against Draco.

"_What is the meaning of this?"_

If there was ever a sound that could totally and completely paralyze me, it would sound something like this. My anger evaporats instantaneously. Every bone in my body goes slack in Draco's arms. My eyes, which were closed, jerks open in seconds. My tears sre immediate, blinding my vision. I know that voice. I know that voice with every fiber of my being, yet my mind cannot wrap itself around what I have just heard. It was unthinkable, impossible. Crabbe is completely forgotten behind me. If he were to attack, I would allow it to happen. I would not have the strength to even raise my hands in defense.

I begin to blink rapidly to clear the tears away. I am desperate to see; desperate to know what I heard was not some dream. Dumbledore, the light shining through the window upon his head, stands beside McGonagall, both of them staring. He is alive, so very much alive. I cry out in amazement and disbelief, waiting for the moment when he will disappear from my view. He stands strong and true. There is color in his cheeks, light in his pale, blue eyes. Though his face looks concerned, and a little disappointed, I see nothing but love shining towards me. There is nothing fragile about this man before me.

McGonagall stands beside him. She has not changed much. Her face is as stern and knowing as ever. Her eyes look from me to Crabbe, the look of disappointment shining brighter than Dumbledore's is. She does not hide her anger as well as Dumbledore does. Her arms cross over her chest, her mouth, a thin line. But even as her anger intensifies, it cannot penetrate my mind. It cannot penetrate the unbelievable emotions that attack me when my head turns to the next person. He is the one that spoke. He is the one that calmed my anger and rage immediately. He is the one that I refuse to believe that is alive and yet, he stands before me now. Only in my wildest of dreams can I imagine this day would happen.

Snape watches me with his black orbs. I cannot read his emotions, cannot see what he is thinking, for he wears a mask of indifference, though his eyes burn into me. This cannot be real. This cannot be happening. This man died in my arms, died while I begged him to fight for me. I remember the rainy day I buried him in the black casket. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I knew then I would never see him again, but here I am, staring into his eyes. I cannot think, cannot speak for the overwhelming emotions crashing down upon me right at this moment. I am limp in Draco's arms, my tears falling freely down my face and yet, I cannot look away from Snape. I force my limbs to move, force myself to break away from Draco's hold.

He lets me go and I almost fall to the ground. The hallway is silent. It is as if everyone present is barely breathing. The silence is so thick I feel I can cut it with a knife. At yet, I remain with my eyes on the man I love with everything that I am. He looks younger somehow, as if he has never experienced the weight of the world on his shoulders. His face, though serious and stern, looks calmer, handsomer. Those black orbs hold the same intensity, yet there is life in them, life I have never seen before. My arms itch to be around him, my lips desperate to be on his, and I cannot stop myself from doing what I do next.

"Severus," I whisper.

I think he hears me, for his eyes flinch. He looks at me in confusion, but it does not stop me from running to him. I charge towards him like I did Crabbe, but this time I am filled with love instead of hate. I run into his hard chest, wrapping my arms around him and sobbing in the fabric of his robes. I do not care who is watching, do not care that they don't understand. The only thing that matters to me in this moment is that Snape is a hard mass under my arms. He is here. He is alive. I can hear the beating of his heart, the movement of air in is lungs. I feel him releasing the air out of his mouth, tickling the nape of my neck. My prayers have been answered. Severus Snape is alive. My cries only increase as I feel his arms go around me, holding me…shielding me. They only last a moment around me, before he pulls me away from him.

He extends his arms out, setting me away from him. The coldness sets in immediately and I look up into his eyes. He stares at me, an array of emotions flying by, though I cannot recognize one from the other. I try to pull myself back in his embrace, but he stops me, holding me in place with his hands.

"Please," I whisper, beg.

He turns away from me, breaking our stare. His eyes are looking at Dumbledore as I continue to sob. I feel the rejection completely travel from my head down to the very tips of my feet. Whatever has happened, whatever this world has become, it dawns on me that everything…_everything_, has changed. Does that mean all the people I know and love are alive?

"Severus, if you don't mind, will you please go and tell Madam Pomfrey that they sedative is not needed," Dumbledore says softly.

Without looking at me, Snape walks away. I think to call after him, but I know he will not turn to me. I know he will not heed my cries. I am forced to watch him leave, forced to watch him turn his back on me. I am alone in this world of remembrance, for he does not remember me at all.

"Everyone, get back to your common rooms and wait for me to summons you. Aileen, I need you to come with me," Dumbledore speaks with authority.

I hear them leaving behind me, yet I do not take my eyes off of Snape's retreating back. I feel a loss, almost as strong as the day I lost him. What have I done?

"Aileen, let us go to my office. We need to talk," Dumbledore says. He takes my hand and guides me towards his office. The Gargoyles are there and move at the sound of his password. I am numb from head to toe and it takes Dumbledore guiding me to a chair before I fall on my face. As soon as I, the flood gates completely open and I let the tears stream down my face. I let the last few minutes, from the time I awoke, to seeing Fred alive, to attacking Crabbe and finally, seeing Snape breathing, overcome me. I allow my fears and my happiness to mesh into one great ball of sobs. I do not know what is happening, but I can't help but be both fearful and elated.

Dumbledore sits at his desk and the sigh that he releases is heard over my sobs. I stare into his eyes, seeing sadness and understanding in his orbs. All at once, my sobs begin to die, my tears begin to slow. My face, though it is a crumpled mess, begins to ease.

"I am so sorry, Aileen. Whatever happened down in that cave, you should have never had to remember the truth that way," Dumbledore whispers.

The gasps that escape me are almost as loud as the sobs that have wrecked my body. Dumbledore knows, but what he knows, I am not so sure. All I know is if I am going to get answers, they will come from this man. I try to speak, but he holds his hand up for me to stop. I swallow my words.

"I will explain, but first I must say this, I am so happy to see you again, Aileen. It is been far too long since I was able to look into your eyes and see the real you. I have waited so long, wanted so much to believe that you would come back to us. You brave, brave girl," he whispers.

Then I know, without a shadow of a doubt that everything I remember happened, and everything I did to try and fix it was successful. And I begin to smile, for finally, I am home.

**Okay people! More of Dumbledore and Aileen's conversation in the next chapter! More of Snape and Aileen to come. Hmmmm, does he remember? Is that why Dumbledore told him to leave? Or is it because he was afraid of Aileen revealing everything? Guess you're going to have to find out. Oh, I can't wait for the chapters to come. Aileen will see everyone! All of the people that she loved, that died, she will come face to face with them again! What's going to happen between her and Snape? All of this and more! Stay tuned people and get those reviews coming.**


	6. Separating the Old and New Life

**A/N: Sooooo sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I have decided that I have ADD when writing. I got caught up in another ship that I have fallen in love with and put everything else to the side. That is not a good excuse I know, so I am truly sorry. I promise to put my focus on this story. Thank y'all for sticking with it and all the messages everyone has sent to me asking me to update. This is for y'all! Now, here is the next chapter. I hope y'all enjoy**

Dumbledore and I walk through the halls of Hogwarts. My hand skims across the cool surface of the wall as my mind remembers. The bricks underneath my fingers should be in piles upon the floor. The last I remember about the school it was destroyed by the war, yet as I look around me, I see nothing but strength. I stop to place my cheek upon the wall. The coolness seeps in to my skin at once, and my eyes flutter close. Is this even possible? It feels real. It even smells real, yet I am having a hard time understanding and believing.

"You must be so confused, Aileen," Dumbledore whispers.

I open my eyes, turning to meet his own. My emotions are running overboard, and I can feel the first signs of tears in my eyes. Luckily for me, no one is around at this moment. The students and teachers are in their rooms. It is just me and Dumbledore.

"I do not know how this is possible. I do not know how you are here now, but I am glad of it. All of this," he says, reaching his hands out before him, "is a result of your sacrifice."

A single tear slips its way down my cheek as I look around at the school standing where no war has ever touched it. I can hear voices floating from the common rooms now and again. The sound of laughter fills the school.

"They are not aware of what happened, are they?" I ask.

Dumbledore takes a deep breath, "No, Aileen. The world you and I remember never existed. These students, teachers, this school has never known that time. It exists only in our memory."

"That means..." I stop, not able to say what I'm thinking aloud. It is too good to be true, and I feel there is a catch somewhere. It cannot be, the thoughts that I am thinking. I see faces of ones who should be dead, yet I have already seen three of them alive. Is it possible that all of them live? "Everyone is alive," I finish, my voice is that of a breath.

Dumbledore walks towards me, laying a soft hand upon my shoulder. I look into his eyes, desperate for his answer. "Everyone is alive," he answers softly.

A sob escapes my mouth as I raise my hands to my eyes. Though I am smiling, I cannot stop the tears and sobs. Everyone is alive. Everyone that I lost is alive. I throw my arms around Dumbledore, squeezing him tightly. He laughs softly, wrapping me in a hug as well. I do not know what is going on, yet I cannot seem to care. As long as the ones that I love are alive, I will figure out the rest as I go along.

"My parents, are they...are they together?" I ask a while later. We are walking the grounds of Hogwarts. It is as beautiful as I remember. The wind gently blows, swirling through my hair. I smell the freshly cut grass around me.

"Bellatrix and Tom are happily married. I introduced them, you know!" I look up at Dumbledore, and he winks at me playfully. I can do nothing but smile.

For a long while, we walk in silence. There are so many questions I want to ask him, yet I do not know where to begin. Instead, I close my eyes and listen to the peacefulness around me. I concentrate on the wind blowing at my hair and on my face. When my eyes open, I freeze. Before me is the Quidditch Pitch. The last time I saw it, it was a blazed with fire, yet now it is as new. It looms above me, reaching for the clouds.

"Oh my," I breathe, overcome with emotion.

"Come, Aileen," Dumbledore says, taking my hand.

He leads me inside the arena. I look around, watching as the memories begin to play in my head. I remember the first match I watched here. I remember all the matches played here after that one. And I remember the night Voldemort returned. I find myself walking to the spot where I fell. I can still remember feeling my soul rise to the sky as Draco screamed for help. I have to remind myself that it never happened, not in this life anyway. I do not stand on tainted ground any longer, but a ground full of innocence.

I turn in a slow circle, the silence falling around me. Will I ever be able to understand what is of this life and what is not?

"How old am I?" I ask, my back turned to Dumbledore.

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen?" I laugh. I finally turn to look at him, my eyes showing my shock. "I'm sixteen? No, that is not right. I am nineteen."

"In this life, Aileen, you are sixteen."

I sigh, feeling my head spin. I sink to the dirt underneath me, my eyes wide, yet I do not see. Snape's face appears in my mind, and a sudden thought hits me. I know the answer before I ask, yet I need to hear Dumbledore say it.

"Severus...Severus doesn't remember me like I remember him, does he?" I whisper.

I hear Dumbledore walk towards me, and seconds later he places his hand upon my shoulder. It is supposed to be comforting, yet I feel nothing but a painful weight. His words do nothing to ease that painful weight.

"No, Aileen, Severus does not remember you. To him, you are only a student of Hogwarts."

I feel a pain in my chest, such as I have never felt. I realize it's my heart breaking. My mind is screaming at me to be satisfied that at least Snape is alive, yet my heart is breaking in the knowledge that he doesn't remember me. I realize I am both grateful and broken. The true definition of bittersweet.

"He cares for you, Aileen. I have seen that much. He gives you his time and attention, something that Severus is not known for. Perhaps deep within him he can feel some connection to the other world."

We stay inside the Quidditch Pitch until the sun begins to set. I do not want to leave the quiet of twilight, for I am afraid of what awaits me inside. Hogwarts, and the people residing inside, are both familiar and strange to me. I must face the ones who I watched die. I must face the ones who betrayed me and all that I love. But there are still those that were dear to me. There is still Draco and Harry, Hermione and Ron...Snape. I have been given a second chance for reasons I cannot explain. I must be strong.

We begin to walk back towards the school, for it is time for supper. All will notice if we are not there. I feel Dumbledore's eyes watching me, but he doesn't speak his thoughts. I finally turned to him, encouraging him to speak.

"Do you remember what happened in the cave, Aileen?" he asks softly.

My time in the cave is fuzzy, as if I am standing in fog. Fear is the first thought I have, yet I cannot remember anything past that. My forehead wrinkles with the act of remembering, but I find I cannot answer Dumbledore's question. What happened in that cave? For some reason, I do not know.

"I don't remember," I answer truthfully.

"Do not worry. We will figure it out," he says to me as we enter Hogwarts.

I freeze at the door to the Great Hall. The talk and laughter from inside reaches my ears, and I close my eyes. Breathing deeply, a shaky hand reaches for the door, but I find I cannot enter. I am frozen in place. Dumbledore lays his hand upon my shoulder again, squeezing gently.

"They are the people you remember, Aileen. Though some things have changed, they are still your friends as they were in that life. All of them, even Crabbe and Goyle." My spine freezes at the sound of those names. A memory floats to me, a memory of the night Crabbe tried to rape me while Goyle stood watch. If it had not been for Snape, he would have been successful. A chill runs down my back and I cannot help but react. "I realize how hard it will be to separate what you remember and what is true in this life, but I ask you to try, Aileen. Both Crabbe and Goyle are good boys, nothing like you remember them."

"What I remember is horrible!" I seethe.

"But what you will learn from this new life is something much different. Those boys, and everyone else who served the Dark Lord, paid dearly. Do they not have as much right at a chance in this life as all the people you love? Without question, you gave your own life to save the man responsible for so much evil. By doing that, you gave people like Crabbe and Goyle a second chance. I assure you, they have not taken for granted their gift."

Dumbledore's words hit me hard, yet I cannot find the strength to argue. My sacrifice gave a chance to all, not just to the people I love the most. Crabbe is not the boy that I remember, nor is Goyle. "There is so much I don't understand," I say miserably.

"Give it time, Aileen. Give it time."

With that, Dumbledore opens the doors to the Great Hall and the laughter overtakes me. I stand frozen for a few minutes longer, trying to find the courage to take that first step. With a long sigh, I step fully into the room, but I have no choice but to stop. What I see in front of me confuses me beyond all understanding. My eyes roam each table, yet I cannot distinguish one House from another. There are Slytherins sitting beside Gryffindores, Ravenclaws besides Hufflepuffs. I feel like I am lost. My eyes grow wide, but no one seems to pay me amy attention, which gives me time to take in everything.

"It happened your first year. It seems that your generation does not want to be defined by which House they represent. I could not be any prouder."

"But there was so much pride in which House you belonged to," I say, my voice shaking.

"The pride is still there, Aileen. The unity that was missing before, now you can find it everywhere you look."

In that moment, my eyes spot my friends. They are all sitting together close to the front of the room. I realize I will be sitting close to the teacher's table. My eyes immediately search for Snape, and I see him there. He is paying me no attention, wrapped up in conversation with McGonagall. I allow Dumbledore to lead me towards my friends, and the moment they see me, they begin to clap and cheer. My face becomes red at once, and I cannot help but to smile. With one last squeeze of my arm, Dumbledore walks to his seat at the teacher's table, and I take my seat beside Draco and Neville. At once, the questions begin.

"What did you and Dumbledore talk about?" Neville asks.

"Are you in trouble?" Harry chimes in.

"What happened in the cave?" Hermione asks.

All of their questions fall on deaf ears, for my eyes are glued to the teacher's table. I find myself looking into black orbs. Snape is staring at me, but his face is unreadable. I cannot seem to look away, so I stare openly back. Our memories begin to play in my mind, and I cannot help but to allow my feelings to show in my eyes. Does he see them? Would he ever understand?

"Come on guys, leave her alone," Draco says, his arms stretching around my shoulders. Though I do not want to, I look away from Snape and towards my cousin. I feel my heart soar to be able to look him in the face again. The last time I saw him, plays in my mind. I had tricked him in to going and getting me a drink, so he would not see me leave. Now, he is by my side again. I look to Hermione and Harry, Ron and Fred and George. I even look at Crabbe and Goyle and find that my smile remains on my face. I turn to Neville, still smiling, and my eyes shoot across the Great Hall. So many lives lost, so many faces, yet they are alive and well.

"So beautiful," I whisper to myself.

"What?" Draco says, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. I look back at him. "Nothing," I say, as I start to pile food on my plate. My friends look on as I scarf the food down, as if I have not eaten in weeks. I pay them no mind as I savor the tastes.

"So, McGonagall gave us two weeks detention for the cave stunt," Ron says.

"Same here," Draco answers. Crabbe and Goyle nod their heads in agreement. All eyes turn to Neville. He looks away in embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbles.

For a few moments, no one speaks. I look up at the teacher's table again, wanting to capture those black orbs once more, but Snape isn't looking at me. For several seconds, I will his eyes to look into mine, but he doesn't. With a sigh, I turn my attention to the man sitting beside him, and the moment I realize who he is, I feel my heart fall to me feet. In one split second, I feel fear take over. My eyes grow wide, and I cannot breathe. The fork in my hand falls to my plate with a loud clatter. Everyone is looking at me, for I can feel their eyes upon me, but I cannot look away from Professor Quirrell. I feel myself going back to that darkened room, feel myself being pulled back in by my legs. I can see him standing before me, a horrible smile upon his face, before he knocks me out and I awake to find the hideous creature on his back. Even as I try to remind myself it never happened, I feel the fear taking over.

Dumbledore moves in my vision, standing behind Quirrell, who has no idea that I am looking at him with fear bleeding from my eyes. I desperately look to Dumbledore, but he gives me no comfort, even as his blue eyes hold mine. He realizes what is happening, realizes I am caught in my memories. It is then that I begin to shake.

"Aileen?" Draco whispers beside me.

Even the soothing sound of my cousin's voice is lost in my memory. I am trapped, just like a bird in a cage. _Everything is different, Aileen. Remember, everything is different,_ I scream in my head. It makes no difference, for the fear is too strong and I am lost within it. The memory of that horrible night and what I saw flow within my mind, and the here and now are forgotten.

Dumbledore takes the first steps towards me, but I give him no time to reach my table. I am on my feet at once, running around the various tables and through the door. Tears blind my vision. The memory of the night that never happens keeps on playing. I must get out, must get as far away from Quirrell as I can. Before I know it, I am running up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. It is all I can do in that moment...run.

Once I am at the very top, the wind begins to blow in my hair. I close my tear-filled eyes, breathing in the air around me. It is so quiet up here. The only sound comes from the wind. The sun's final rays begin its descend behind the mountains. I stand and watch as confusion and fear tangle their thick web in my mind.

"The memory isn't real. Not anymore," I whisper. The wind takes the whisper from my mouth. "I am not of that world anymore. I am the Aileen Riddle of this world, and this world does not know the horrors that I've seen."

I continue to repeat those words in hush whispers. I want so much to believe them, want so much to understand and accept that this is a new world, but my mind is having a hard time processing the truth. I do not think I will ever be able to forget. I do not think it is possible to forget what I've seen and been through. Even now, standing in the Astronomy Tower, I am reminded of what happened here. I am reminded that this is the place Snape took Dumbledore's life.

"It never happened!" I cry.

"What never happened?"

I gasp, turning towards the door. He stands in shadow, but I do not need to see his face, for I would know his voice anywhere. It is a voice that I have longed to hear again. As the tears fall from my eyes, he walks into the waning light. His face is unreadable, but his eyes have the look of alarm and concern. It takes all the strength I have not to run to Snape. _He does not remember us,_ I remind myself.

"N—nothing," I stutter.

Snape walks slowly towards me. The wind begins to disturb his robes. They flow around him just like I remember. The wind drifts his scent towards me, and I am trapped in a memory again. I remember the first time we made love. The knowledge that Snape does not have that same memory is almost enough to throw me into despair. The only thing that keeps me on my feet is the thankfulness I feel that he is alive. I watch his chest rise and fall, knowing that that is air moving in his lungs. He is here, not dead on some hill overlooking the school. And then he is before me, so close I could reach out and touch him, but I dare not move.

"Professor Dumbledore was coming to search for you, but I told him I would take the liberty of finding you. I have not had the opportunity to speak with you since the cave incident."

Snape looks around me, not meeting my eyes. Have I made him feel uncomfortable with my display of affection earlier when I hugged him?

"Why did you come here?" he asks, sounding genuinely confused.

"This place helps to clear my mind," I answer softly.

Snape's eyes finally turn to mine. We stare at one another for a few moments without talking. I feel there is something he wants to say, yet it is as if he doesn't know how to say it. My hands are trembling, wanting so much to reach out and touch him, but I know that is not possible. Dumbledore's words play in my mind, and I remind myself that I am but a student in his eyes. I am not his Aileen, and he is not my Severus. Still, that understanding does nothing to quench the longing to be in his arms.

"What happened in that cave?"

His question catches me off guard, or perhaps its the intensity of his voice. I cannot answer him at first, for I am caught in his stare.

"I—I do not know," I say, my heart trembling.

"Do you have any idea how stupid it was for you and your friends to go there? The fall alone should have killed you, not to mention what all could have been living in that cave!" he spat.

"I know," is all I can say.

"Though your friends received two weeks detention, I am giving you three! Maybe then you will understand how stupid your actions were. I thought you smarter than that, Miss Riddle!

I look away from his face, shame creeping in to my chest. Would he ever believe me if I told him that I do not even remember walking in to that cave? I do not think he would. I want to laugh, for I am being punished for something I did not do.

"We will resume your tutoring in your detention."

I look at him sharply. "Tutoring?" I say out loud, though I only meant to think it. His eyes grow confused again. "Yes, tutoring. Are you sure you are alright, Miss Riddle?"

"I don't know," I answer truthfully.

To my surprise, Snape takes another step towards me. We are only inches apart, and his eyes search my face. He is so close to me. Without thought, my hand moves towards his chest. With my palm lying on his chest, I can feel his heart beating, and it beats as fast as my own. Surprisingly, Snape does not move my hand right away. His eyes lock on mine, and we are frozen in the wind.

_Remember, _I beg him in my mind. _Remember me! Remember us!_

Snape takes a step away from me, and my hand hangs in the air. Slowly, I return it to my side and look away from him. It is only a reminder that he does not remember me.

"Get back to your common room, Miss Riddle," he says through clenched teeth.

My eyes flutter close for a brief moment. I resign myself to the thought that I will forever hear that bite in his voice. The sweet, loving sound I used to hear in his voice does not exist. Perhaps I will be made to suffer for my actions. What I have done is not the way of the world. For though so many live from my choice, there has to be a price paid somewhere. Maybe this is the price. Snape's eyes darken towards me. What I have done has overstepped our boundaries, and Snape is letting me know.

"Now!" he ground out.

With defeat, I walk slowly past him. My heart breaks as I get close to him and have to continue walking. There was once a time he would hold and comfort me, yet that time is not now. I am not through the door when his voice floats towards me. I come to a stop at once, my eyes growing wide, yet I do not turn to look at him.

"You will never know how frightened I was seeing you lying there in that hospital bed! You will never know how it felt to fear you had died."

Finally, I cannot help but to turn and meet his stare. Though his eyes are hard, I see the emotions underneath. I see the emotions I thought did not exist, yet they stare me in the face. There is a part of Snape that cares for me, I just know it. The evidence is there in front of me, and I can do nothing but stare.

_I know all too well what it is like to feel the fear of death,_ I want to say, but instead I say nothing. I turn and walk away, leaving Snape behind me. Only when I fall asleep in my bed, several hours later, that my tears cease to fall from my eyes. Though my torment from this new world ends, another begins in my dreams.

Before me stand someone, or something rather. His red, dead eyes watch me, his smile growing. I am too scared to move, so I stare back. He stands before me as Snape did, and reaches a bony hand towards my cheek. His touch his cold and it freezes my blood. I cannot think, cannot speak, for I am trapped before him. His unnatural face leans towards me, and I fear that he has a mind to kiss me, but he goes towards my ear.

"Six days," he breathes.

I awake with a scream.


	7. Understandings and Realizations

It is Sunday and I find myself surrounded by books. I have slaved over each book thoroughly, yet I haven't been able to find what I am looking for. The library is quiet, for I am the only person present. All the other students and teachers are still asleep in their beds, oblivious to my plight. I am on my tenth book, "Stories of the Magical World". At my feet are the discarded books I have read and reread them all. My mind is reeling, my heart growing heavier by the minute. As I turn one page after the other, my hand begins to shake.

It is because of my nightmare that I am here. It is because of what I remember that I sit on the cold, hard floor of the library alone. Just hours ago, I awoke with a silent scream upon my lips, for the memories of what happened in the cave came flooding back to me. It had been Death that I saw, and his words echoed in my mind even now. He had brought me back, brought me back to pluck me away from this world that I created. It is the purest form of cruelty what he has done. Seven days he gave me to see all that I have saved. Seven days to live in a world of happiness, only to have it taken away. Six days is all that remains.

When I come to the end of Stories of the Magical World, I throw it down with rest. My hands shake as I grab for the next book. Tears are in my eyes, yet I refuse for them to fall. I must be able to see straight, must be able to see what I am looking for. _It isn't here,_ a voice in my head whispers, taunting me. It has to be here, for it is my only saving grace. I skim the pages of a old, leather-bound book, yet I do not see what I'm looking for. It, too, lands in the pile growing at my feet. I am on to the next book, when I hear footsteps approaching. I am lost in my own grief. The thought of being caught out of bed after hours does little to make me stop. I am desperate.

Whoever it is, they are now inside the library. I am sure that they have heard me, for I do not try to be silent. I continue turning page after page, my wide eyes searching every word. A gasp pierces the silence around the library. Streams of light assault my eyes, and standing before me is Professor McGonagall. She looks taken aback, her eyes roaming from me to the books at my feet. It is the condition of those books, which I have left strewn upon the floor, that turns her confusion to anger. Seeing her angered face does little to stop the helplessness within me. There is no punishment she could bring down upon me that would hold a candle to what awaits me in six days.

"It isn't here," I whisper, as if she would know exactly what I'm looking for.

McGonagall brings her wand out of her robes, raising it towards me, and I believe she is angry enough to strike me down. It is only a second that I realize the books are flying around me back to their proper place on the book shelves. Her piercing eyes never leave mine. Only after the last book is in place does she speak.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?" she seethes. "You are supposed to be in bed!"

I cannot form words to speak. Instead, I stare at her, begging her with my eyes to understand the situation I am in. Though there are thousands of books I have not looked at, I realize what I'm looking for doesn't exist. How I know this, I am not sure, but I feel it with every fiber of my being. There is only one person that can confirm this, and I want to speak to him immediately. He will understand.

"Professor Dumbledore," I whisper, having no strength to speak aloud.

"Oh, you will see Professor Dumbledore alright. Professor Snape as well. Perhaps you can explain to them why you are awake at two in the morning destroying books in the library! Miss Riddle, we have been very understanding of your actions lately, but this has to stop!"

I can feel the bite of her words, yet they do not pierce me as they should. McGonagall walks forward, grabbing me by the arm and escorts me out of the library. We walk down the darkened hallway. I watch the shadows dancing off the stoned walls, hear the ghosts of a world that does not exist. The moon hangs full in the sky. I can see it clearly from the window, and I think of Lupin. He is alive somewhere out there. Tonight, he is in werewolf form or is he? Is his life different? I cannot say for sure.

Towards the gargoyles we walk, until they open for us and up the spiral stairs we go. McGongall's hold on my arm is strong, as if she fears me running away. Dumbledore's office is dark and empty. She guides me to the chair in front of his desk, placing me on it.

"You stay put until I return!" she says, gliding out of the room.

Complete silence engulfs me, leaving me to my thoughts. It is then that the tears fall from my eyes. It is then that the full weight of what I know crashes upon me and drowns me. There is no way to stop what is to come, I believe this now, for what I need does not exist in this life. I am not left alone for long, as I hear footsteps on the spiral staircase. Dumbledore and McGonagall enter the room followed closely by Snape. I cannot look at him, can not meet Snape's eyes. It is not the anger I know I will see in his black orbs that keeps my face downcast. It is the knowledge that I will be separated from him again, this time for good.

"Aileen? What happened?" Dumbledore says softly, bending to one knee beside my seat.

It takes several moments for me to raise my red and swollen eyes to look at him. When our eyes meet, I think he sees the fear in them. His forehead wrinkles in confusion, but I see understanding begin to lighten in his eyes.

"Severus, Minerva, will you excuse us for just a moment. I would like to speak with Aileen in private," Dumbledore says, his eyes never leaving mine.

McGonagall leaves immediately, but it takes a few seconds longer for Snape to move. His eyes are still upon me, still searching my face. I take a chance and look up at him. His dark face is unreadable, even his eyes show no signs of what he is thinking. He looks to be made of stone as he stares at me. He turns away, walking slowly out of the room. I watch him until the door closes softly behind him.

"What happened, Aileen?" Dumbledore asks again.

Turning slowly back in my seat, I meet Dumbledore's kind, blue eyes. I do not know where to begin, can not form the words to tell him just how dire my situation is, but I can see it on his face that he already knows it is bad.

"There is no Tale of the Three Brothers, is there?" I whisper. "There are no Deathly Hallows."

For a moment, Dumbledore looks confused. "Deathly Hallows," he says, more to himself than to me. Understanding shows through him after several seconds of silence. How easily he forgot the Deathly Hallows.

"No, Aileen, not in this world."

I nod my head slowly, hearing what I already know to be true. My best hope of defeating Death does not exist. The Deathly Hallows does not exist. I feel the fear inside me die away, being replaced by a numbness that freezes my blood. Looking away from Dumbledore, I stare at the darkened corner of his office, yet my eyes do not see.

"Aileen, has something happened?"

I laugh, yet there is no humor in the act. _Has something happened?_ I turn towards the man that is on this journey with me, the only one that knows the truth. As I watch him watching me, the truth settles in to my heart. I will die in six days, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. There is nothing this powerful wizard beside me can do. My days are numbered.

"I remember what happened in the cave," I say. Though I speak just above a whisper, it sounds deafening in the silence of the room. Dumbledore waits patiently for me to go on, yet I can see the anticipation in his eyes. "He was waiting for me. It was he that brought me to this world, he that opened my eyes to what I changed. It will be he that comes to claim me in six days."

Dumbledore's eyes grow wide, his mouth coming open just an inch in disbelief at hearing my words. We sit and stare at one another as he comes to terms with what I have just said. I'm waiting on him to ask me the one question that I know is flying around his head. When I speak the name aloud, there will be no turning back, no kidding myself about what is happening. For right now, just a fraction of a second, I can almost refuse to believe what I know to be true, but it is in that moment that Dumbledore finally asks his question.

"Who, Aileen?"

My mouth comes open to speak his name, but it takes more strength than I have. I close my eyes, taking a long, deep breath. "Death," I finally answer.

Dumbledore's face grows pale in the dim light of his office. His blue eyes grow wide. I see the disbelief, but I also see something that surprises me. I see guilt. "W—Why?" Dumbledore stutters. I have never heard him stutter before. The sound is foreign to my ears when coming from his mouth. At this moment, Dumbledore is not one of the greatest wizards to ever have lived. At this moment, he looks as scared as I feel.

"What?" he breathes. "Death?"

I nod my head slowly, my eyes never leaving his. "When I went back in time and changed everything, I took from him all of those deaths. He says that I owe him for each life. My choice has consequences. He brought me back to see the world I created just so he could rip me from it," I finish, my words barely audible. To speak the truth aloud was crushing.

Dumbledore stands to his feet, walking towards his window. His back is turned to me, and I cannot read his expression, though I can read the tension in his shoulders. Fawkes begins to stir. The only sound in the room is the ruffling of the phoenix's feathers. I realize what Dumbledore is doing. In his wisdom, he is trying to find a solution to this problem. I want to tell him there is no solution, but a part of me is hoping against hope that he can come up with something. The Deathly Hallows were my solution, but that is out of my reach. Possibly he can figure something out.

"I have battled a great many powerful wizards in my day, Aileen. I have seen unspeakable acts of evil and have overcome many obstacles. But I have never been able to defeat Death. I have watched him swoop in and take the people I love and have been unable to stop it. He even conquered me," he whispers.

I know what he is telling me without him having to say the words. Dumbledore cannot help me, cannot save me from this.

"Are you positive of what you saw, Aileen? Are you positive it was Death?" he says, almost pleadingly. I nod my head yes. Slowly, he turns back to me, his eyes haunted. "Tell me every detail." With that, he walks towards me, taking a seat to face me as I tell him everything that happened in the cave.

When I finish my story, Dumbledore does not speak. I can see my words playing over and over in his head. He is dissecting it, looking for a loophole, but he will not find any. I have already tried. His hands come up, taking mine gently. I feel the slight shake in them, yet I find the courage to give Dumbledore a small smile.

"Aileen, I am so sorry," he breathes.

I shush him, for I do not want to hear his apologies. "Do you think I would go back and change anything I have done? It worked, Professor Dumbledore. They all live, you live, and I would not go back and change a thing., no matter the consequences."

"If I would have known this would happen..." he begins, but I place my hand upon his mouth. "You still would have given me a chance to change it, no matter the cost," I say.

Finally, in those few words, I come to terms with what will happen. Six days from now, I will be dead, but what I hold most dear to me will live on. In a strange way, that gives me comfort.

"I will not stop looking for a way to stop this, Aileen! I swear it!"

Again, I want to tell him not to bother, but that part of me that wants to live keeps me silent. I raise my arms, wrapping them around his neck. Dumbledore brings me into himself, holding me tightly. We are the only ones who know the truth, the only ones who know what was lost and what was gained. It is only fitting that he be the one to console me at my most vulnerable. I hear his breath hitch and know he is fighting the same emotions that I am.

"I need your help with something," I say as we release one another.

"Anything," he whispers.

"My parents. I want to see me parents. I want to see Sirius and Lupin. I want to see Tonks and the Weasleys."

He reaches up, catching a stray tear falling down my cheek. I do not even realize I am crying again. He begins to nod his head. "I can arrange that. Perhaps as soon as tonight," he says, a sad smile appearing on his lips.

"No one can know," I add.

"Aileen." His voice sounds as if he does not agree to this. "It might be that one of them could help. If I tell them all that we know, perhaps the solution will be known."

I shake my head. "No. Even if they believe us, Professor, think what it will do to my father. Think what it will do to my mother to know the evil they possessed. It would destroy them," I say desperately.

He reaches up again, caressing my cheek with his knuckles. "Still the brave, selfless Aileen."

I close my eyes as my emotions grow within me. I want to scream and yell. I want to hit something until I am spent, but it will not change anything. I realize that I should already be dead, for when I went back in time and changed everything, I changed my existence. So in some strange way, Death has given me a gift. I have six days to live in a world that I so desperately wanted. I realize I cannot waist this time with useless hope. It will not change the outcome.

The door to Dumbledore's office opens and McGonagall and Snape walk back in. They eye us suspiciously, seeing the tears in our eyes. I look at Dumbledore. With my eyes, I beg him to keep quiet about the truth. A small nod of his head is the only agreement I receive, but it is enough.

"Severus, if you will please escort Miss Riddle back to the Slytherin common room. The hour is still early, and all of us need more sleep," Dumbledore instructs.

"Albus, you cannot let the girl go unpunished. She must be held accountable for her actions!" McGonagall chided.

Though I am aware of what the woman is referring to, I finch at her words. She has no idea how close her words burn to the real truth. Dumbledore must realize it to, for his stops his movements of helping me rise from the chair and holds her with his stare. His eyes are intense, his face looking angry. For a moment, I fear he will blurt out the truth, but to my relief he does not.

"I do not agree, Minerva. No rules were broken," Dumbledore murmurs.

"No rules? Albus, she was out of her room after curfew, and there is no telling what damage she has done to those books, books that have been here far longer than any of us!"

"Enough!" Dumbledore erupts. McGonagall flinches at his sudden outburst, her eyes growing wide. I take this time to steal a glance at Snape, and his face is still unreadable, yet he is staring at me.

"Severus, please do as I say," Dumbledore goes on, gently pushing me towards Snape. I go willingly, and the moment I am beside him, I feel overwhelmed by him. He takes my arm and guides me out of Dumbledore's office. We do not speak to each other as we walk down the darkened halls. It is not until we are deep in the dungeons that Snape finally breaks the silence.

"What were you looking for in the library?"

I slow my walk, until I come to a complete stop. Slowly, I turn towards him. Snape is a foot taller than me and standing so close, he engulfs my small frame. For a few moments, I do not answer him, and that is when I feel a familiar tickle in the back of my mind. I realize in an instant that Snape is trying to read my thoughts. I cannot allow that, cannot allow him to see the truth. Forcefully, my defenses shoot up and knock him out of my mind. I see it on his face, see his shock at what I have done. He has no idea that it was him who taught me to guard my mind.

"Are you tired, Miss Riddle?" he asks me softly.

My forehead wrinkles in confusion, but I answer him truthfully. "No."

This time, when he guides me, his hand is resting in my own. I feel the shock pass through my body, and I wonder if he can feel it to. He leads me towards his classroom, and I begin to have doubts. _ What is he up to?_ It's two in them morning, and this is unlike him. He should be sending me off to bed, not taking me to the Potions classroom.

As soon as we enter, he lets me go. I watch him disappear into the closet where he keeps his supplies. When he returns, his arms are filled with a caldron and ingredients. As he sets each one on a nearby desk, I whisper the names out loud. When he has it set up, he looks up at me.

"Since neither of us can sleep, let us put this time to good use. You have N.E.W.T.S coming up, so let us practice, shall we?"

His voice is too chipper, too out of character for him, and I do not miss the slip of his hand in his pocket, as if he were depositing something inside. I watch him for a few moments. For the first time in my life, I begin to fear him. Something isn't right. Something doesn't add up, for he even smirks a little at me. My mind is telling me to run, but I am drawn towards Snape. I walk forward, even as the voice in my head is screaming for me to run.

As I take my seat in front of the caldron, Snape takes a seat at his desk. His smirk is gone, being replaced by his stoned face again. For a moment, I feel that I've made up what I saw. He intertwines his fingers together, resting his chin upon them. His black orbs are intense as he nods his head for me to begin. I take my eyes off of him and look at the ingredients. I want to laugh, for I know this spell as easily as I know my name. With a deep breath, I begin to work.

A half hour later, I am looking at my reflection in the clear liquid of the caldron. Perfection is one word to describe the potion I have made, though it comes naturally to me since I already know how to make the Draught of Living Death. Despite everything that has happened, I cannot stop my smile. At least one thing went right for me tonight. I look up at Snape, not able to hide my pride. He is not looking at me, but at the caldron sitting before me. His eyes are wide and staring. The moment he feels me watching him, he becomes like stone again, rising from his chair and walking towards me. His steps are too careful, his body too stiff. I watch as his hands go into the pockets of his robes, and I have a strange feeling to run.

I do not run, but I do stand. Slowly, I take a step away from his approach. Confusion rings through my mind, and I try to remind myself that this is the man I love, yet I cannot shake the feeling that something is seriously wrong. His eyes search the caldron, his chest rising and falling in quick succession. I realize that I have done something wrong, something that the old Aileen would not have done. It is written on his face for me to see.

"Perfect," he whispers.

His eyes slow rise to look at me, and I cannot stop my hand from reaching in to my pocket for my wand. The look in his black orbs is one that has never been directed at me. The man I know and love would never look at me like Snape is looking at me now. It is in the pain of understanding that I realize this is not the same man I know and love. If he felt it necessary, Snape would strike me down if he had to. That is the reason I grab my wand and bring it out at exactly the same time that he brings his own wand out.

In the silence of the Potions room, I find myself in a standoff with the man I love. Our wands are pointed at the other, our eyes wide, our breathing heavy. Every memory of this man plays in my mind, and I cannot believe I am holding such a dangerous weapon in his direction.

"Severus," I whisper, yet I cannot say anymore.

Snape takes a step towards me and on instinct I take a step back. His eyes darken more than I have ever seen. My heart drops to my feet. My hand holding the wand begins to shake.

"Where...is...she?" he whispers vehemently. I open my mouth to answer his question, but I cannot say a word, for I do not understand his question. _Where is she? Who is she?_ Questions boggle my mind making it hard for me to concentrate. "What have you done with her?" he seethes.

"Who?" I finally get through my parched throat.

"Aileen!" he screams at me.

For a moment, I am at a total loss for words. "I—I..." I stagger, still unable to concentrate.

"She could not perform the Draught of Living Death potion. She never could, yet you sit in front of me and so easily do it! Did you not think I would be able to see the differences? I have been with her for seven years! I know the curve of her face, know even the most subtle looks she gives, but when I look at you, I do not see them! Though you may have fooled the others, you could have never fooled me!"

I am too stunned to answer. I stare at him, my eyes popping from their sockets. _He saw the change. He realized something was wrong the moment I came back._ The arm holding the wand towards Snape falls slowly to my side. Not until this moment did I realize how much hiding the truth took out of me. I feel spent, as if I have run a long way. My chest heaves a slow, deep breath. The wand falls to the floor, as I turn my face away from Snape. The accusations, the raw hatred in his eyes, are too much for me to see.

I am lost in my own deep thoughts when I feel his hand grab me by the arm. I do not fight, but allow him to wretch me towards him. He slams me into the wall, and the breath is knocked out of me. I slam my eyes shut, aware that his wand is inches from my face.

"What are you?" he breathes.

Slowly, I open my eyes to look at him. His face is inches from mine, his anger rolling off of him in waves.

"You would not believe me if I told you," I cry softly.

"You are right!" he says angrily.

His free hand comes up, grabbing my face and forcing my mouth open. I feel something on my tongue running down my throat. I am floating, as light as a cloud, yet I am still aware of my surroundings. Snape grabs me around the midsection, carrying me towards my empty seat in front of the caldron. I am powerless to stop him, and I feel as though I don't want to stop him. I watch, half dazed, as his hand sweeps onto the table knocking the caldron out of his way. The sound is explosive in my dazed condition.

"Who are you?" he asks.

I do not answer at first, my forehead wrinkling in confusion. I am fixated upon the buttons of his shirt as I makes sense of his question. I hear something in the back of my mind, as if a voice is whispering for me to lie, yet I find I cannot. Snape holds a bottle up in front of my eyes and I look upon it.

"Do you know what this is? It is Veritaserum! Do not think you can lie your way out of this. You will tell me what I want to know, and then you will be sent to the darkest parts of hell if you have harmed a hair on that girl's head! Look at me!" he yells, as he grabs my face. "Who are you!"

"A—Aileen," I breathe. I see the slight fear in his eyes, but it disappears in an instant. His hold on my face begins to hurt, and my face scrunches up in pain, yet he does not remove his hand.

"Where is the girl that went into the cave," he says, trying a different question.

"I do not know," I say truthfully. This seems to be the answer he was looking for, and his anger grows.

"Did you hurt her?"

"No," I whisper.

At this, his hold on me eases some, but he still has a strong hold on my face. I no longer like the dazed state I am in. I feel too trapped. I want to break free, trying desperately to fight the control that the Veritaserum has over me, but it is a battle I cannot win.

"Are you Aileen Riddle?" he hisses.

"Yes."

"Are you of this world?"

I fight against having to answer that question. My eyes close, tears springing underneath them. I know what I will say, yet I fight it with everything I have. It will give away everything I long to keep hidden. As much as I love Snape, I do not want him to know the truth, for if he knows the truth he will know everything. It will make it harder for me to leave him in six days.

"Are you of this world!" he yells in my face.

"N—no," I cry softly.

As my eyes open, I plead with him to release me. Snape looks taken aback for a few moments, his eyes watching me closely.

"Show me!" he demands.

I begin to shake my head, knowing exactly what he wants to see. My face crumbles, my eyes pleading harder. _Please, Severus, please!_ "Please," I whisper my fearful plea. It falls on deaf ears as I feel him begin to pry into my mind. I throw my defenses into place, but being under the effects of the Veritaserum I do not have all of my control. I am weakened, and he makes easy work of my defenses. I have only a moment to scream at him to stop before he delves into the memories of the world that he should have never had any knowledge of.


	8. Haunted Dreams

The feelings that overwhelm me are nothing short of terrifying. Snape holds my arms in a death-like grip as we plunge into a sea of blackness. I know what is to come, yet I am powerless to stop it. It is as if I am swimming in an ocean and there is a large wave heading towards me. There is nothing I can do to change what is to come. I see the first memory rising towards us and I desperately try to pull away, but I am trapped. The Veritaserum still holds me captive. My strength is low.

Together, Snape and I watch as the memory takes shape through the darkness. It is our first meeting at the orphanage. The conversation between him and Sister Mary Elizabeth is but a whisper to our ears, yet it is as if they are screaming their words.

The memory switches to us in Diagon Alley as he takes me around to gather my supplies. It is the first time I meet Uncle Lucious, Aunt Cissy and Draco. I remember it as plainly as I remember my own name, yet I did not know how much of an impact they would have on my life. I am able to see the fear in Snape's eyes now as plain as day. I did not realize how scared he was for me then. I do now.

The memories keep coming. I'm sorted into Slytherin. I become close friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione despite Draco's objections...and most of the Slytherins as well. My first meeting with Professor Quirrell. The unease is easily felt. My first year at Hogwarts rolls by us in seconds, yet none of it is lost on us. I can feel Snape's hold on my arm tighten. I want to scream at him to stop, for he could stop at any time. I don't know why he keeps going. I can feel that his body is shaking.

My second year at Hogwarts plays like the first. The voices in the wall attack my mind. The words of blood splattered on the walls attack my sight. We watch as Snape and I grow a little closer. I willingly go into the Chamber of Secrets and it is there that my memories play out just as they did on that horrible day. I am sitting before Dumbledore as he begs my forgiveness for thinking me capable of opening the Chamber. I am numb, though I do not yet know why.

My memories fade to black, only to be replaced with other memories. Sitting before a large dinning room table, Snape beside me, I feel the familiar chill in the air as Snape and Lucius catch one another in a hard stare. Snape has come to check on me, I know this now, and I feel such love for him. Beside me, I feel his body quiver as he realizes this fact. I am now a Malfoy. I am walking through a train, when something horrible and terrifying looms before me. It attacks me, and I am forced to relive that horrible scream and that dark laugh. I am saved only when Lupin appears. We are thrust forward, my memories flying by, and before me stands Sirius. To see him alive and well is almost my undoing.

The memories are coming faster and faster. My forth year runs past us. I try again to stop them, but it is of no use. I am as much their prisoner as Snape is. I realize he is in control now, and unless he stops this we will go forward. I'm standing before a mirror, looking at myself with wide-eyes. A green dress flows down my body. I'm dancing, yet my eyes are trained to Snape. There is no one more important that he. He watches me, as if he dare not take his eyes from me, yet our stare is shattered as people begin to dance. I follow him out the door, for I feel him pulling me. It is in a darkened hallway that Snape lets his guard down and I find myself in his arms once more. I try, desperately, to cling to this memory, for I know what is to come. There is no denying the moan that comes from him when he watches the memory. Snape leaves me in the darkened hallway, my heart broken. I am in my father's clutches, and it is only Snape that saves me. With a kiss, he brings me back from my father's clutches.

The memory fades, but Snape stretches on. He pulls the next memory from my mind and forces me to watch as Lucius attacks me. I am running for the door, the call device in hand, begging Snape to appear. I am swept away in a sea of black as Snape takes me to Sirius. It is there that our relationship finally blooms. It is there that I know without a shadow of a doubt that I love Severus Snape. My fifth year at Hogwarts rolls by, and I am forced to watch as Sirius is murdered by my mother. I am forced to come face to face with the two monsters that brought me in to this world. The horrifying feeling overtakes me once more.

As those memories begin to fade, I feel my strength building. I try to push against the hold Snape has on my mind, try to break free, but he does not let up, and there is nothing I can do to stop the sixth year at Hogwarts from playing.

"Please..." I whisper desperately through gritted teeth. It does no good.

Snape and Draco are pulling away from me. The two men I love most in this world are becoming strangers. I beg Snape to open up to me, beg him not to shut down. It is no use. The night that we make love appears before us. Snape's hold on my arm is painful, and I hear him gasp. I cannot even begin to imagine what he is thinking. Though it strengthens my love for him to watch our first time, I can only imagine how unbelievable this is for him. The moment I see myself in the Astronomy Tower, I begin to fight harder. I do not want him to see this. He will never understand. The memory begins to fade, and I think that I am winning the upper hand, but it begins to build again, showing as brightly as before. Harry and I are watching the events above us as Snape steps forward. With a soft plead from Dumbledore, Snape sends the man to his death. I am not sure if I heard a scream from Snape, or if it was my imagination, but it is then that the pressure in my mind begins to ease.

Suddenly, I feel myself pushed forward. I am falling swiftly to the ground and hit with a loud thud. Not only does my head hurt, but now my arms are hurting. Behind me, Snape is breathing hard. I try and force myself to look back at him, but I find I am not ready. He has seen what I wanted to keep hidden. He now knows the truth, or at least some of it. Tears fill my eyes as I look before me, yet I see nothing. If only the pounding in my head would cease enough to allow me to think, it is possible I could figure some way out of this.

Slowly, I turn behind me to look at Snape. He is leaning against the wall, his eyes wide and staring ahead of him. He looks like a man in completely shock, and I guess he is. Anyone in his position would be. He begins to slide down the wall until he lands on the ground, but his eyes remain straight and unfocused. I try to think of something to say, but it seems my vocabulary has escaped me for the moment. What cou-ld I ever say to soften this blow?

Snape's head begins to turn my way, and I brace myself for whatever explosion will come from him. For a moment, his eyes stay unfocused, but it does not last. We stare at each other for a long time. I try several times to open my mouth to speak, but my words continue to fail me. I need to speak with Dumbledore. He will know what to do. It seems as though my body will not cooperate either. I am completely spent, as if I have run a marathon.

"What was that?" Snape whispers finally.

His eyes begin to focus again, and they are pointed straight at me. He is waiting on an answer, yet I do not know what to say. Is there an easy way for me to explain what he has just seen? Should I tell him there is more? His face is turning dark. I realize that I am staring into angered eyes.

"Get...out!" He grinds out.

When I do not make a move to stand, Snape is on his feet before I can blink an eye. I have only a second to brace myself before he snatches me up. His hold is painful, not loving as I remember. Again, I find myself in fear of this man.

"Do you think this is some sick joke?" He yells in my face.

As he takes his anger out on me, I realize he also is bringing me closer to him, as if he wishes to hold me in a lover's embrace. I want nothing more than to soothe his anger. I want nothing more than for him to understand what is between us. The Snape I remember would not dare harm me.

"What? What did you show me?" he yells again.

I can see his confusion mixed with his anger. He is shaking me slightly, as if shaking me will make the answers spill from my mouth.

"Those were memories, Severus. You know this to be true, for it was you who drug them from my mind," I whisper, being bolder than I feel.

"Those were no memories!" He hisses.

Snape jerks me towards the door. As soon as we are in the hallway, I begin to think he is taking me to Dumbledore, but as we go deeper into the dungeons, I realize he is taking me somewhere else. My heart begins to race. The pounding in my head becomes too much.

"Where are you taking me?" I cry out in fear.

He does not answer, but drags me deeper into the dungeons. As soon as the cells come into view, I realize what he has planned. Desperately, I begin to try to break his hold on my arm. I struggle so that it causes him to stop his movements and turn back to me. In the deepest part of Hogwarts, I am in a tug-of-war with the man I love, but also the man I fear. In my haste to be released, my arm is being twisted at an inhuman angle. If I do not let up, Snape will break it, but I am desperate to get away. At the very last second, the grasp upon my arm is gone and I am free. At first, I find that I am surprised by Snape's actions. He releases me before harming me. I do not give the thought another second before I turn and run.

Snape is right behind me, I can hear his footsteps, but he does not try to stop me. I do not slow until I am standing in Dumbledore's office. It is just Snape and I for a few moments. There is a wide berth between us, our chest huffing in the act of running. His eyes have lost some of that anger from earlier, but what I see in them makes me feel no better. He looks upon me as something strange and foreign.

The lights burst in around us, and I hear Dumbledore walk into the office. I do not know how he knows we are there, but I do not care. He will make this all better. No one speaks for a few moments as Snape and I are lost in a staring match. I hear Dumbledore walk towards me, and his hand is placed upon my shoulder a few seconds later. It is only then that I look away from Snape and into the eyes of Dumbledore.

"He saw," I whisper. It is the only thing I can say.

For a split second, Dumbledore's walls shatter and I see the disbelief shining in his blue eyes. I do not have time to dwell on it, for his walls are back in place. He turns his concerned face from me to Snape. The two men look at each other for a moment before Dumbledore walks towards Snape.

"Aileen, it is three in the morning. I would like you to go back to your room while Severus and I have a chat," Dumbledore says, his voice calm.

I nod my head, hurrying around Snape as if I fear he will reach out and snatch me away again. When I am safely at the door, I cannot stop myself from turning towards him. As soon as our eyes meet, I am caught off guard yet again. The anger is gone now. What I see staring back at me is too much to hope for, too much to believe. For just a moment, I swear I saw recognition in those black orbs. Shattering my hopes, I remind myself that this is not the Snape I remember. This is not my Snape. My Snape died, though I know in some way he is standing before me. The need to feel his arms around me almost makes me run to him, but instead, I force myself to walk out of the door.

It is well into the afternoon before I pull myself out of bed. Already, the room is empty. The students are enjoying a relaxing Sunday outside. I realize that I need to join my friends before they begin to become suspicious of my absence. I am not sure how things are in this world, but I know that some things haven't changed that much. I still have a close circle of friends. Perhaps their company is what I need.

Sure enough, my friends are lounging around the grounds of Hogwarts. They are sitting under a Weeping Willow tree as I join them. Neville is telling them another of his wild ideas, and immediately he gets shot down.

"Hey," Draco says softly, bumping me with his shoulder.

I turn towards him, trying to give him my best smile, though I know it falls flat. I cannot think of anything but Snape. I wonder what Dumbledore has told him. Has he explained everything to him? I feel it is too much to hope for that Snape will accept what he saw as truth.

"Hey," I respond back.

"Is everything okay?"

I look at my cousin. At least in this world Draco and I haven't changed much. He is still my best friend. "I'm fine, just a little homesick," I say, thinking that will be a good excuse.

"Speaking of home, I heard Dumbledore invited the Order to the school!" Hermione chimes in.

Everyone turns their eyes towards the girl leaning against Draco. Their eyes grow wide for a moment, while I try to process that there is still an Order. Why would their be an Order in this world?

"We must be in big trouble!" Ron groans.

"Why else would he ask our parents to come to the school if not to punish us!" Neville whines.

It dawns on my in that moment the reason why the Order is coming. I told Dumbledore that I wanted to see my parents. I told him I wanted to see Sirius and Lupin, Tonks and the Weasleys. That is why they are coming. I cannot tell my friends this, for it would raise too many questions. Instead, I play along, acting as if I am upset, but all I feel is complete and utter joy.

"Thanks a lot Neville!" Fred and George say at the same time.

"Come on, I said I was sorry didn't I? Look, it was a great plan, and we had fun. How was I to know that Aileen would fall through that hole? It's the only reason we got caught!" Neville huffs.

"Don't blame me," I laugh. "It's not my fault we will all have to face our parents!

Suddenly, the good mood I felt around the Weeping Willow begins to change. The mood darkens, yet mine becomes excited. What kind of relationship do I have with my parents in this world? Will I be able to look them in the eyes with the memories I have of them? They tortured me, almost killing me. Can I see past that, knowing that that never happened? My questions continue to grow as I sit with my friends.

After supper, I find that I am not tired. Instead of following my fellow Slytherins to the common room, I allow my feet to guide me. It is not until I feel the wind sweeping through my hair that my mind catches up to my surroundings. I am standing at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"Why does my path always lead me here?" I mumble into the darkness.

I look out over the darkened grounds of Hogwarts, and it is a while before I realize I am not alone. I feel a presence around me. Whoever is here with me stands in the shadows. My first thought is to turn and bolt, but I am curious to see who it is. I turn to where I think they are standing, and sure enough I see the shadow move.

"Hello?" I call out gently.

For several minutes, nothing happens. It isn't until I am almost ready to leave that someone walks out. For the second time I find myself face to face with Snape. He is looking everywhere but in my eyes. My breath hitches as I realize it is him. He looks different somehow, as if he is lost. Snape has always had an air of confidence, of strength, but right now he has neither of those. I wait patiently for him to speak, for his mouth opens and closes several times.

"I...I am sorry for scaring you earlier."

"I understand. I can only imagine what that must have been like for you to see..." I trail off, not knowing what to call the memories he has seen.

Another round of silence ensnares us. Snape takes a step, and then another, and before I realize it, he is standing before me. It is then that his eyes turn to mine. We stare at one another, the wind the only sound. I feel a shifting, though I am not sure what it is.

"May I ask you some questions?" he whispers.

I shake my head yes, not trusting my voice at the moment.

"How old are you...I mean, how old would you be in the—in the..."

"Nineteen," I answer, knowing what he is trying to ask.

He nods his head in understanding. It is a few seconds before he asks me another question, and during those seconds he takes another step towards me. I look down at his feet, watching the wind blow his cloak around him.

"Albus told me there is more than what you have shown me, is that correct?" he whispers.

My eyes move back to his black orbs and I nod my head yes.

"Show me...please."

"I am not sure you want to see it," I say, my voice cracking.

"I am not afraid," he breaths. To my surprise, he reaches up and tucks a stray hair behind my ears. My eyes close on their own, feeling his finger gently touch the back of my ear. His hand lays lightly on my shoulder as I open my mind to him again.

I show him everything. I show how he left me after killing Dumbledore. He sees what my life was like without him, how broken I was. We both watch as he saves me from certain death the night Moody was killed. I show him my seventh year at Hogwarts, and how he revealed the truth to me. For the second time, we see us make love. The hand on my shoulder begins to grip tighter. He sees himself standing before my father, begging him to spare my life. The memory jumps to Draco and him trying to bring me back from the dead, and him crying out to take him instead of me. My heart breaks watching his sorrow.

We are thrust forward to the moment he and Harry come face to face and I beg him to tell the truth, which he refuses. Instead, he leaves me and the school in the hands of the Order. I have no time to prepare myself for what I am about to see. I have no time to prepare Snape. Before us is a torn and decimated school. The war is raging forward and students, teachers and Death Eaters alike are falling to the ground dead. Even now, it is almost impossible to watch. But I do watch as I meet Snape in the broken halls of the school. For the last time, I see him standing tall and strong.

The memory fades, being replaced by another in the form of a boat house. I cry out, trying to retch myself free of the memory. I do not want to relive it again. I do not want to relive losing him, but Snape is determined to see. The hand upon my shoulder wraps around me, bringing me into warmth. In Snape's arms, I am forced to relive the memory of his death over again.

It is not just his death I am forced to see, but the deaths of Fred, Lupin, Tonks, my mother and my father. So many more dead faces swim before our vision. I know that I am crying, yet I cannot stop the tears from falling. The war is over, yet the horrors have just begun. One after the other, Snape and I watch the funerals. We watch as Lupin and Tonks are laid to rest beside one another. We watch as Fred is laid to rest, his family gathered close around his casket. And we watch as the black casket holding Snape's body is laid in the ground with hundreds of people watching atop the hill overlooking Hogwarts.

The scene fades, until another takes its place. I am standing in Dumbledore's office with the Time-Turner in my hand. It is here that I changed the fate of everyone. Everything I did, everything I changed, begins to play itself out like a movie.

Before I realize it, Snape releases my mind and I am standing in the Astronomy Tower again. The darkness looms all around me, hiding the tears on my face. What is he thinking? I try to look at his expression, but the darkness is hiding him from me. Is he angry again? His hold on me slowly loosens, until his arms are at his side once more. Instantly, a cold feeling sets in. I want his arms around me again, around me where they belong. For a moment, I contemplate asking him to hold me, but I do not think he will. It is best that I leave, I know this, but it is easier said than done. Seeing those memories again reminds me of what he and I had. I want it back so bad I can think of nothing else. I want Snape to understand what we had, but I do not know if that is possible. He is standing beside me, as rigid as stone. Finally, I force my legs to move towards the exit.

When my hand reaches the door, Snape speaks. I freeze instantly, his words not registering in my dazed mind. I stand in complete shock, my wide eyes staring at the door. A voice in my head is screaming for me to turn around, yet I find I cannot move. The hand holding the doorknob begins to shake.

"Say something," Snape begs softly.

I find the strength to turn and face him, my eyes still wide. It takes several tries for my words to come out audibly.

"Say it again," I say, just barely above a whisper.

Snape is facing me fully, tears visible in his eyes. "I said that I have waited years to meet the girl that has haunted me in my dreams."


	9. Dreams Become Reality

"S—Severus," I whisper, not wanting to give in to hope.

He stares at me, his emotions visible upon his face. Without thought, as if an invisible string pulls me towards him, I begin to take small steps back to stand before him. He watches me, his black orbs as wide as my own. I can see him shaking slightly.

"They started when I was a boy," he begins softly, and I still at the sound of his voice. "I could see your face as clearly as I see it now. I have dreamed of your eyes, the love shining from them, for the better part of my life. I saw a life with you, one that confused me and excited me all at once. In the madness and hellish part of my life that was my childhood, I longed to close my eyes so I could be with you."

My face crumbles at the sadness in his voice. I try to pull myself together, but I cannot find the strength to do so. I try to force myself to go to Snape, but my legs have stopped cooperating with my mind. I am shaking now, and I know that Snape can see it. It seems as though he is having the same problems as I am, for he stands as still as stone.

"All of the dreams that I have had, everything is real, is it not?" he asks.

I can do nothing but nod my head.

"You were always real?" Snape closes his eyes for a moment, his face becoming lighter, as if a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. When his eyes open again, I see they have become clear, as clear as I have ever seen them. Never before have I seen him look so at peace, even in the world that I come from. "Everything that you showed me I already dreamed. I—I thought you had read my mind somehow and was showing me my dreams. That is why I reacted the way I did. I was angry that someone would take something so wonderful and use it against me. But you didn't do that did you?"

"No," I murmur.

Snape's lips twitched into a ghost of a smile causing my heart to thump wildly in my chest. Oh, how I have missed his smile. My feet find the courage to take a step towards him, and I am surprised when he mimics my movements.

"You have been in my every thought since I was a small boy. When I came to Hogwarts, I began to search for you. I—I thought you would be waiting here for me. Seven years, I searched every corner of this school, every face, but I could never find you. Each night, my dreams would show me something else, a vision of you and me. I became obsessed over finding some sign that you were real. By the time my seventh year came around, I was angry and bitter. I thought it unfair that this angel existed in my dreams but would never truly be mine. I withdrew from everything, withdrew from everyone. I made myself miserable, but I could not stop it. I almost lost the one true friend I had here."

My eyes grow wide, for I realize who Snape is talking about. "Lily," I breathe. Snape nods his head, confirming my suspicions. "You—you never loved her?" I ask, thought I am not sure that I want to know the answer.

His eyes grow soft, boring in to me. It is as if he can see through me, to my very soul. "How could I have loved anyone else when you consumed me mind, body and soul."

Those words are enough to open the floodgates to my eyes. The tears run down my face. They are warm against my chilled skin. He never loved Lily in this world because of me. He never knew the heartbreak that she would bring to him.

"For some reason, I just knew you and this school were linked. It is the reason I came back here to teach. I was desperate to find you, desperate for my dreams to become reality. Every year, I watched the students walk into the Great Hall, and every year I would be let down. Then, I found you. The moment I saw you that night, it took every bit of my strength not to jump from my seat and rush to you. You were the only student to ever be brave enough to look at me and smile. There was no fear."

I look away from Snape as my face falls. I cannot look him in the eyes, for it was not me that he saw that night...not really. Over the sound of the wind, I hear him walking towards me, yet I still cannot look at him. What if it was the other Aileen he fell in love with? What if it isn't me he wants? The moment I feel his fingers underneath my chin, I take a long, deep breath. He is so close to me. His smell engulfs my senses, and I have to fight to keep from grabbing him. Too long has it been since I have been surrounded by the man I love. Slowly, he raises my tear-filled eyes to meet his. I see the concern in his black orbs, but I cannot speak to reassure him that I am fine, because I am not.

"I have watched her all these years. I have went so far as to bring us closer by being her mentor. From the very beginning, I knew something was wrong, something was off. When I looked into her eyes, I did not see what I remember dreaming. Yes, there was something familiar there, but it never felt right. Miserably, I made the decision that I could never have what I had in my dreams. I let her go, yet I swore with everything that I was that I would protect her for as long as I was able."

His free hand comes up, grabbing my right arm softly and pulling me towards him. We never lose eye contact. I cannot look away, even if I want to. He has hypnotized me. The hand holding my chin moves to my cheek, where his knuckles softly caress my skin. On instinct, I want to close my eyes, but I fight against it. I fear that if I look away, Snape will blow away with the wind.

"But the moment I saw you that day in the hall after we rescued you from the cave, I knew it was you. The look of love I remembered from my dreams was staring me in the face, and I could not breathe for the longest time." With every word he speaks, Snape's face moves closer to mine. "I knew in an instant that you were not the Aileen from this world, but you were the Aileen from my dreams, as if you jumped from my memory and became flesh."

His eyes have a look of pain, and I slowly reach up to touch them. As soon as my fingers touch his eyelids, they close. I do not want to see that pain, never again. The hand holding my arm tightens, and he pulls me, slowly, further in to him. Our faces are inches from one another when his eyes open again. I rest my hand against his cool cheek, not wanting to believe I am touching Snape again.

"Forgive me for the way I have treated you, Aileen," he whispers. I want to tell him there is nothing to forgive, but I do not have the strength to speak. "I had to test you, had to be sure it was not some cruel, horrible mistake." His hand glides slowly down my cheek causing my skin to hum at his touch. "By the time I talked to Albus, I was sure that it was no joke."

His lips are inches from my own. I can feel his breath upon my skin, feel the heat from his body shielding me from the wind. I want so badly to run my hands through his hair, to feel the familiar texture of his dark hair, but I cannot move. I am afraid that just the slightest movement will cause this dream bubble to burst. I cannot find the courage to believe this is real, cannot believe that finally Snape is with me. I do not know how much he really knows or feels, but the way he is holding me, the way his eyes stare into mine, is enough for me at the moment.

"I must admit, Aileen, that I do not understand all that is happening. I have my dreams, or memories, whatever they are. The same memories that are in that head of yours." Snape's hand reaches up, lightly touching the side of my head. He touches me as if I am made of glass. Perhaps at this moment I am. "May I ask you more questions?"

"Anything," I answer.

"Did—did I make you happy?"

His words surprise me, but the uncertainty in his voice is what catches my attention. He looks unsure of my answer. "I do not know happiness without you," I answer immediately, putting him at ease.

"Will you tell me everything. I—I know that I have my dreams and what I've seen in your memory, but I want to hear the story from you."

When I agree with what he is asking of me, he slowly pulls me down to sit. It takes me an hour to tell him our story from start to finish. By the time I am through, I feel worn. I am staring at his chest watching it rise and fall with his breath. What I have told him is a mouthful whether he has had his dreams or not. Snape brings me to him, and I find myself wrapped inside his black cloak. Slamming my eyes shut, I reach out and take a fist full of his shirt. It is in that moment that I finally allow myself to believe that Snape has come back to me. It is in that moment that I finally believe that we have found each other again.

"I always feared that believing in my dreams would drive me mad. Now, if I have gone mad I welcome it with open arms," he breathes into my hair.

"Let us grow mad together," I say, laughing softly.

Snape leans back, staring at me without talking for a few moments. I cannot tell what he is thinking. I do not have time to prepare for what he does next, but I am not sure I could prepare myself even if I had time. As gently as the wind blowing in my hair, Snape leans forward and presses is lips upon mine. It is the softest touch I have ever felt, yet it ignites a fire deep within me. Far too long as it been since I have felt his touch, and I long for more. As swiftly as I can, I pull him towards me. Our kiss deepens, and I am relieved when he does not pull back. Instead, he rises to the occasion that I have set and parts my lips with his own. The movement of his lips are exactly as I remember. To my disappointment, the kiss does not last long. He leans his forehead against mine, breathing slowly.

"I want to do right by you, Aileen. I feel we must take this slow, until I feel that my head is not swimming with confusion. Though I know without a shadow of a doubt who you are and what you mean to me, there are still so many questions that I need answered. Some of them only you can answer, but there are some that I need answered by Albus."

I cannot help my dejected look. I try to hide it with the darkness surrounding us, but he is so close that it is easy for him to see my reaction. He softly kisses my forehead, his lips lingering on my skin. "It does not change how I feel about you, Aileen. I have waited almost my entire life to find you. Now that I have found you, do not for a moment believe that I will let you go," he whispers.

"I understand," I say.

Snape rises to his feet, bringing me up with him. As we stand, he does not let me go, but wraps his arms around me. "You saved me. You saved us all."

"No, it is you that saved me, you that saved us all," I answer, my voice cracking. He laughs. It is a true laugh, something that I have seldom heard from him, yet it is as sweet as rain on a hot summer's day. I close my eyes, relishing in the sound and freezing it in my memory. "I am no hero, Aileen."

"You were my hero in more ways that I can even begin to tell you."

His strong arms around me squeeze gently. For a while longer, we stand in silence. We are content with just the feel of one another. Our embrace is all that matters in this moment. I know the moment is coming when we will have to leave, and I am dreading it. If only I had a way to freeze this moment in the darkening silence of his arms.

"It is almost midnight, Aileen. As much as I do not want to leave you, I must get you back to your room. Unfortunately, you are still a student and I a teacher. I do not think someone like Minerva would understand our situation if we were to be caught up here at this hour."

I breathe heavily, yet I agree with what Snape is saying. McGonagall would eat us alive if she was to catch us. I force myself to release my hold on Snape, yet as I do, he grabs my hand in his. He no more wants to let me go than I want to let him go. As we turn to leave the Astronomy Tower, I feel the wind pick up. There is a chill in the air, something that was not present earlier. I am aware of it immediately and I stiffen. Beside me, Snape reacts the same way, as if he feels the change in the air as well.

I feel the hairs on the back of my head begin to stand on end. There is something behind us, something that causes my skin to crawl. The voice in my head screams at me not to turn around, but when have I ever listened to reason? I know what awaits me before my eyes fall on the figure behind me. It is too late to ignore him as I slowly turn to meet his stare. Snape turns as well, but I do not know if he is able to see what I see. The moment he steps before me, putting himself between me and the hooded figure, my question is answered.

In one swift move, Snape's wand is out before him pointing towards the hooded figure. I grab the back of his shirt, trying to push him to the side, for I do not want him harmed. I know why Death is here, and I am not sure if he will strike Snape to get to me.

"Aileen, get out of here," Snape murmurs over the wind.

The wondrous feelings that I had from earlier are gone. Fear begins to grow within me as I push my way past Snape. He reaches for my arm as I pass him, trying to protect me. He cannot protect me from this. Death is covered from head to toe in a black robe, something similar to what Snape is wearing. I cannot see his eyes, yet I know he is watching me. I can feel his smile upon me. It feels like thousands of insects crawling all over my body. A shiver assaults my body, yet I do not take a step away. Instead, I move forward, forcing my arm from Snape's grasp.

"You will not hurt him," I say. I want my voice to sound strong, yet I know it comes out sounding like a weak kitten.

"No..." Death drawls, sending me into a long shiver. "You made sure of that, did you not?"

I can hear the bitterness in his voice, feel the hatred falling off of him. Snape tries to pull me back to him again, but I take a step out of his reach. I will give Death what he wants. I will jump from this tower as long as he stays away from Snape. Somehow, I must get distance between them. Though Death says he will not harm Snape, I cannot trust him. What would he do if Snape tries to attack him? Would he retaliate without thought? My time is not up yet, so he is not here to collect me.

"Severus, leave us...please," I whisper, beg him.

"Like hell," he hisses at me.

It is then that Death pulls his hood from his face, and I come face to face with him again. His red eyes are as horrible as I remember from the cave and my dream. I hear Snape's sharp intake of breath behind me. I want to look at him, reassure him that all is well, but I know that it is not.

"You have five days left, dear Aileen," Death speaks, his words as smooth as silk.

With those seven words, he takes to flight before us. I hear the fluttering of wings as the blackness swallows him from my vision. Five days? I only have five days left. I stare at where Death stood, my eyes unseeing. Even as Snape swings around to stand before me, he is out of focus. I feel his hands upon my shoulders shaking me lightly. His voice sounds far away, and I cannot tell what he is saying over Death's words playing in my head.

Suddenly, the world around me comes rushing back. Snape has me by the arm, pushing me towards the exit. We rush down the stairs until we are hurrying towards the dungeons. There is no sound but our footsteps in the darkened hallway. I can hear Snape's ragged breathing beside me, and I take a moment to glance towards him. In the moonlight shining from the windows, I can see how pale he looks. His eyes stare ahead of us, wide and scared. His hold on my arm becomes painfully tight, yet I keep my mouth shut. Death will be another thing I have to explain to him.

As soon as we are in the dungeons, I turn towards the Slytherin common room, but Snape snatches me back to him. He turns us towards his quarters, and I go without complaint. We push past his classroom towards his private door in the corner. It is as I remember, the small hall heading towards his private quarters. For just a moment, I can pretend I am back in the old world and everything is as it should be. If only for a moment, I can pretend that Death is not after me. It does not last, of course, as Snape pushes me into his room and slams the door shut. I turn and watch him leaning against the door, his back turned to me, as his head leans against the door. It seems like an eternity before he finally turns to me and speaks.

"What was that?"

His voice is calm, yet his eyes are burning in to me. I can see their fear, see their confusion, shining back at me. How do I explain this to him? There is so much we must work through, so much confusion, and now this! I take a long, deep breath trying to calm my nerves.

"When I went back in time to save my father, I not only saved him but everyone that had died by his hand. What I did was unnatural. It went against the way things should work. I completely changed a world that existed. There are consequences to such an act." My words are barely above a whisper as I finish. "Death has come to reclaim what he has lost. I took from him what was his, and now he has returned to collect."

"Collect what?" Snape says harshly.

My eyes meet his, and I cannot hide the emotions running through me. Was it only this morning that I accepted my fate? In Dumbledore's office, I felt at peace with dying. I was okay with that being my penitence for what I did. But now, having Snape back in my life, I am not so sure anymore. I do not want to die.

"Me," I whisper.

For a moment, there is no sign that he has heard me. Snape stares at me, his face completely unreadable. I do not know whether to ask him if he heard me or keep going. I decide to keep going and get it out in the open before I come apart.

"The day in the cave, Death was waiting for me. It was he that brought me to this world, opening my eyes to the things I had forgotten. His goal is to allow me to see the world I created only to snatch me from it. He has given me seven days, which now are only five. That is why he showed himself tonight on the Astronomy Tower, to remind me of how much time I have left."

It takes all my effort to speak the truth to him. With every word, Snape's eyes grow wider. With every sentence, his face turns whiter. I take a few steps towards him, wanting nothing more for him to hold me in this moment. As if he knows my thoughts, Snape rushes towards me, cutting the small gap between us, and wraps me in his arms. I crumble.

"I will never let him have you, not when I have just found you again!"

"There is nothing you can do!" I cry.

"That is not true, cannot be true! I will find a way to save you, Aileen, I swear it! What you did, saving us all, was not unnatural. It was the bravest act of sacrifice, and something like that cannot be rewarded in death! There has to be some way to stop this."

I look up at him, though I cannot let myself find hope in his words. "I have looked, Severus. The one thing that could have possibly saved me does not exist in this world. Even Dumbledore is at a loss for what to do!"

"Then we will just have to look harder, Aileen!"

I do not hesitate to capture his lips with mine. I need to feel him close. He does not turn me away, but wraps me tighter into his embrace. His movements are as desperate as mine. Snape picks me up, easily, and places me upon his bed. Our embrace never shatters as he lays me beside him, searching my eyes for something.

"Sleep," he commands, laying my head against his chest, where I can hear his heart beating, a heart I could not have dared dream would beat again.

Snape rouses me from a dreamless sleep, yet I cannot remember sleeping so soundly. I feel his lips upon my forehead, hear his soft voice saying my name. I do not want to open my eyes, for I am in heaven. He chuckles softly, his arms squeezing me.

"You must get up, Aileen. If you are found in my room, I will be sacked immediately."

"Dumbledore wouldn't allow it," I whine, snuggling further in to him.

"Perhaps not, but I do not want to take that chance, nor put Albus in that kind of position. I do not want you to go, but you must go, Aileen."

With a growl of frustration, I open my eyes. He is leaning over me, staring down at me. His face has found some of its color again. His eyes are soft in the dim light around us. I reach up, caressing his face. His eyes flutter close, as he smiles softly.

"I love you, Severus."

The words slip from my mouth without my consent. I fear that it may be too early to say such a thing, and my cheeks turn scarlet red. Embarrassment causes me to turn my eyes away from him. I feel his fingers on my chin, trying to turn my face towards him again, but I resist.

"Look at me," he says low. For a few moments, I do not react, but I cannot resist looking at him. He climbs from the bed, bringing me with him. I feel the tears trying to gather in my eyes, for he has not spoken. It was too soon for me to confess my love for him. As he walks me to the door, I try to compose myself and hide my hurt feelings. Snape opens the door and walks me through the small hall towards his classroom. Once we are there, he opens the door to check and make sure no one is around. Once he is certain no one is in sight, he turns back to me. I cannot read his face in the darkness. I am glad of the darkness, for it covers my mortified expression.

I release my hold on his hand and walk swiftly past him. I need to get to my room before my tears fall. It is not fair to show him my hurt. I cannot begin to imagine what this is like for him. He warned me to take it slow, warned me of his confusion. I should have kept my mouth shut. I am through the door, when I feel his hand grab my arm again. Before I can think straight, I am back in his arms as he kisses me hurriedly. My heart is racing. My mind is a foggy mess. Slowly, me moves from my lips to my ear, kissing them lightly.

"I love you too, Aileen Riddle."

My eyes pop from their sockets. My lips begin to grow, until I am smiling like a silly schoolgirl. I pull back from him, so I can see into his eyes, see if I heard him right. The love I see there confirms what he says.

"Goodnight, my Aileen," he whispers.

"Goodnight," I say, still smiling widely.

For the rest of the early morning, I lay in my bed. I cannot close my eyes, so I stare up at the ceiling and replay all that has happened in the last few hours. There are so many emotions to wrap my mind around. I try to keep my mind focused on Snape, but the scene with Death continues to play over and over. Can there be a way out of this? Is it possible that there is something I'm overlooking, something that would save me and allow me to stay with Snape? My mind is blank when I think of what to do.

"Good morning, Miss Riddle." I look up from my half-eaten bagel to see Professor McGongall eying me harshly. The bagel becomes like rock as I try to swallow it down my parched throat.

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall," I answer, my heart beginning to explode. The woman is looking at me like she knows something. Did she catch me leaving Snape's quarters this morning? I steal a quick glance at the teacher's table and come face to face with blazing eyes. Snape is watching McGonagall and I closely, which does not make me feel any better.

"Professor Dumbledore requires your presence in his office," she says crisply.

My friends sitting beside me have become quiet, their eyes turned to me. I try to look innocent, as if I have nothing to hide, yet my eyes will not quit looking at Snape. I rise slowly and turn to walk away, but my feet will not cooperate. I stumble towards the next table and would have fallen face-first into a sixth year student, but Harry was there to save me from embarrassment. I mumble my thanks as I head towards the exit. I have just a moment to take one last look at Snape, but his chair is empty. There is no time to search the Great Hall for him, so I continue my walk towards Dumbledore's office. I should not be afraid, not really, for Dumbledore knows the whole story. He knows my feelings for Snape, whether any of the other Professors do or not. He knows the truth. Then, why do I feel as if I want to throw up as I climb the spiral staircase?

I hear someone coming up behind me, and I turn to see Snape. For a moment, we are frozen in a stare. He cuts the distance between us, coming to stand beside me. I feel his hand slip in to mine, and I look up at him thankfully. If we have been caught, he will not let me face this alone. At the last moment, he reaches over and plants a soft kiss on my temple. I knock on Dumbledore's door and with one final squeeze, Snape lets go of my hand.

"Come in," says Dumbledore's muffled voice.

Steeling myself, I turn the doorknob and step inside. Snape is right there with me. The moment we both enter, we freeze. I am like a statue, my eyes staring straight ahead. Somehow, I find the strength to turn my eyes upon Dumbledore. He is looking at me with an apologetic look, and I want to tell him he should apologize. He should apologize for not warning me. What do I say? Where do I begin? My eyes drift back to the two people standing between me and Dumbledore, their smiles bright as the sun.

They are standing before me before I can blink. Snape stands aside, allowing them room, yet I want to scream at him to come back to my side. I am not sure I can do this. They throw their arms around me, holding me tightly. I am surrounded by smells I do not recognize, feelings that threaten to take me under. My eyes meet Dumbledore's and I see raw emotion in his blue orbs. I do not have time to search for Snape, before my eyes close on their own.

"Mom...dad," I whisper, before I faint in their arms.


	10. A Family Reunion From Nightmares

I am conscious, yet I do not have the strength to open my eyes. I lay on the ground, everyone standing above me. Their concerned voices reach my ears, but I do not move a muscle. I asked Dumbledore to let me see my parents, had wanted it so badly, but seeing them standing there I know I am not ready. What do I do? How do I get out of this? My mind is a roller coaster of questions and emotions. They are here, just a hair's breath away from me and I have never been so scared. Someone touches my cheek softly, his breath tickling my skin, and I am aware that Snape is very close. This eases my fears somewhat, but in the next breath I take the fear ceases me again.

The smell of lilac and jasmine overtake my senses and I cannot help but whimper. It is in this small sound that I can no longer hide anymore. They all know that I am awake, yet I cannot force my eyes open. I cannot force myself to look at the two people I call my parents. No amount of telling myself that this world is different will help me. I am trapped in a sea of fear and hurt and I am drowning. The others were easier to understand and accept that they are different in this world, but the two people standing so close to my prone body have hurt me more than any others. I do not know how to come to terms with the fact that they are not those people…those horrible people.

"Aileen," my mother calls softly.

The moment the words fall over me like a soft blanket my face crumbles. With just the use of my name, I hear such love and devotion. Those things are never given to me by them in the old world. Had they ever said a decent word to me? I cannot remember.

"Why is she not waking?" This time, the voice speaking is my father. It causes a ripple of fear to course through my veins. I try and remember what Dumbledore said, these people are not who I remember, but my mind refuses to work with me. I cannot help the memory of them torturing me as it plays over and over like a broken record in my mind. It is in this thought that I jump to my feet and back away from the group.

My parents look at me with wide, confused eyes, but Dumbledore and Snape show nothing but understanding. I do not know what to do, so I back away from them, my breath coming out in gasps. Finally, I allow myself to look upon my parents with all of my attention. Behind the concern and confusion I see a look of love as they stare at their daughter. My father is as handsome as my mother is beautiful and the site of them takes my breath away. Neither of them look as I remember. My father's left arm is wrapped around my mother as his other hand reaches out to me. I take a step back, my body shaking.

"Aileen, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asks me. His voice engulfs my ears, causing me to whimper again. I do not recognize his voice, not the way it plays in my mind. In my memory, his voice is high pitch, almost like nails on a chalkboard, but here he sounds deeper…softer.

Both of them take a step towards me and I instinctively take a step away from them, as if we are caught in a dance.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?" Tom Riddle asks. He turns towards Dumbledore at the same time as I do. To hear him being called father by the man that I call father is surreal. Why would he not call him father? I hand delivered him to Dumbledore for the man to raise.

"Ohhh…," I mumble, feeling the world around me tilt again. I am about to faint for the second time and I lean forward, pulling my face close to my knees. No, this is too much. I cannot even begin to deal with what is transpiring here. Those people…my parents…need to leave. I must get away from them before I lose all sanity, or what little I have left.

"Aileen, look at me." This time Snape's voice floats to my foggy mind and I lift my head just enough to look at him. His eyes show his concern and he takes a step towards me. He must have seen something in the look in my eyes. He stops and raises his hand towards me. "It's me," he whispers, "I am not going to hurt you."

"What is going on here?!" my mother shouts, fear resounding in her words. The shout is enough to break my contact with Snape and I turn my wide eyes back to her. She steps in front of Snape, as if to come towards me. Suddenly, her features change. The beautiful woman no longer stands before me, but is replaced by a hideous figure. Her hair is stringy and matted in her face and when she opens her mouth her teeth are dry and black. This is the woman I remember. This is the woman that tortured me. Beside her, I look upon my father. As with my mother, his features begin to change as well. Gone is the handsome face of Tom Riddle. In his place is a face that haunts me to the very core of my being. His dark hair fades to nothing but a bald head. His eyes turn snake-like as his nose sinks into his face, just two slits for nostrils remain. His skin turns a sickly gray. The clothes on his back melt into a long, black robe. Voldemort stands before me.

What is happening? This never happened with the others. They never changed before my eyes, yet my parents are doing just that. I swallow the scream tearing its way up my throat. Is Death playing some sick joke on me? No, that does not make sense. He wants me to see this world for what it is now, what my sacrifice bought and paid for, so I can be torn away from it. No, this is my doing. This is my fragile mind breaking in the presence of the two people who caused me the most pain.

I beg myself to get it together, to remember that everything is changed. I beg my mind to stay together, to not break, but the more time passes with my parents standing before me as I remember them…cruel and hideous…the more I feel myself slipping further and further into paralyzing fear.

In one swift move I turn away from them all and rip the door open. My legs feel like jelly, but I push forward, needing as much distance between me and my parents as I can get. I hear them screaming my name, as if in a choral ensemble, they all call to me. I ignore them, running faster through the quiet halls of Hogwarts. I need air, space, to think.

Tearing through the doors, I feel the cool air of the night hit my face. It is in this moment I realize that I am sobbing. My face is wet with large tears, as my vision blurs. I keep running forward. I am not sure where I am going, but I see the Quidditch Pitch ahead of me and that is as good enough a place as any. Behind me there are footsteps, but I do not slow. They will gain on me, I know this, but I cannot stop at their calls.

As I enter the Quidditch Pitch, the dark silent arena greets me. I question why I wanted to come to this place the moment I realize I am trapped. There is no way out but for the way I came in and that way is blocked.

Suddenly, something begins to grow around me. I watch the silver light outrun me and fall into place all around me. I come to a skidding halt as I reach out and touch the light. It vibrates underneath my skin, but does not evaporate. The silver light shines all around me, from my feet to my head. Shaped like a dome, I turn to see that I am engulfed in the silver light like a prison cell. But I am not alone.

"Aileen, you must stop this."

My father stands before me…no, Voldemort stands before me. He has encased me inside the silver dome…with himself. Behind him, I see my mother, Dumbledore and Snape beating upon the dome, yet It does not break. Their mouths are open, yet their voices are silenced. He has trapped me in a cocoon without any way out.

I reach for my wand, pointing it towards him. His eyes grow wide in disbelief, but I do not drop my wand. "Aileen," he says softly.

"Let me go," I cry out, my sobs intensify. "Just let me go and do not hurt me."

He moves towards me, yet my words stop him in his tracks. As if his body weighs too much for his legs to hold up, he slowly falls to his knees. Without thinking, I follow him. Now we are both eye to eye. His wand is out, shaking slightly in his hand. Will he cut me down, show his true colors? Will he murder me in front of Dumbledore…in front of Snape? I look towards Snape. He cannot help me, it is as plain as day on his face. He knows this. The seven days on my life are not up, but perhaps Death has found this a better way for me to die. Perhaps this is his revenge, and oh how sweet it must taste to him.

"Aileen, I want you to look at me," Voldemort whispered.

As much as I do not want to, I turn my eyes to meet his snake-like orbs. At first, I see nothing but red and death, but something begins to burn brightly within them. "I do not understand what is going on here, but I would never hurt you. Not with any ounce of my being would I cause you any pain."

His words make me gape at him. Those are not the words of Voldemort, but of Tom Riddle. _Remember, Aileen, remember what you have done for them…for all of them._ Those words play over and over in my mind as I continue to stare at the man sitting across from me.

"Do you remember the story I like to tell you of when you were born?" he asks me, his voice cracking. How odd it was to see Voldemort in such a state. It did not make sense. It did not feel right. My broken mind tries to make sense of his words and actions as he continues, but I am coming up short. "When they laid you in my arms, wiggling and screaming at the top of your lungs, I could do nothing but stare. I was scared to death and yet I had never felt so alive."

While he talks, his features begin to change. I watch in awe as his black hair grows back on his head. I watch in awe as his eyes turn back to deep blue. "I swore to you, to only you, from that day forward I would give my life to protect you if I had to. In some way, a way I cannot explain, you saved me. By coming into my life you saved me." The two slits of his nostrils grows into a perfectly shaped nose. The paleness of his skin begins to turn a darker, healthier look. Voldemort disappears from my view and in his place sits the man I call my father…Tom Riddle. Voldemort never existed in this world, for my father never ripped his soul apart. Harry defeated Voldemort, setting my father free. I saved him, so he could have a chance to live the life he was robbed of.

My father reaches his hand out towards me. I watch him, not breathing, as I lower my wand. He hand comes towards me, so very slowly. "Whatever has happened, we will get through it together like we have always gotten through everything before. Tell me you are still in there. Tell me my little girl is still there." He is confused about what is happening, I can hear it so well, underneath the fear and pain. "Aileen, whatever happened to you when you fell in that cave we can fix it. You and me," he whispers.

Dumbledore must have told him some of what has happened. How much of it has he told, I wonder? "He told you?" I whisper, a small whimper escaping my throat.

"Only that you fell into a cave and something happened. He said all would be explained when we could sit down and talk. I—I was so afraid when we got the call, Aileen. Now, when I look upon you and see the fear in your eyes, fear directed at me, I am more afraid. You look…you look as if you do not recognize me".

I open my mouth to speak, but another whimper escapes me. The truth is that I do not recognize him. I do not know him and what I do remember of him scares me so.

"Aileen, do you recognize me?" His voice shakes as he asks. His eyes plead with me to say yes. "Do you remember who I am?"

I look away from him, down to my shaking hands. He should not be made to know the truth, to know what his life was like in the old world. I take a deep, long breath, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"My name is Tom Riddle," he says, half kidding. If he knew how close to the truth he really was it would hurt him. His daughter did not know him, did not remember a life with him. I look up at him and his hand extends towards me. His soft looking skin is within reach and he waits for me to take his hand. "And I am the proudest father you will ever meet." These words hold no sarcasm behind them. He is not kidding as he says them. My heart sinks, bleeds, for the man in front of me and for my mother.

It is then that the dam in his eyes break and the tears freely fall down his face. I join him with my own tears and we cry as one. One is crying for the memories of a terrible life endured. Another cries for his daughter that looks upon him as if he is a stranger.

With all the strength that I have, pushing past the fear, I reach my shaking hand out towards his. In the moment our hands meet my mind is assaulted with scenes that I do not recognize. Birthdays, holidays, laughter and tears float through my mind like a whirlwind. I see the life I have in this world with my father and mother. Through his touch I see all that I have in this world. All that he and my mother have given me and I cry out in heartache that I never had the chance to enjoy it. What he shows me is a life I always wanted with them.

My father cries out, as if in pain. As the images fill my mind, I stare at him. His eyes are wide and unseeing. His mouth open in a silent scream. Panic overtakes me as I fear what is happening to him is the reverse of what is happening to me. If I am able to see the life I have now, he is able to see the life he had before.

As a memory of a mansion on top of a hill assaults my mind, I hear him scream. His vice grip refuses to let me go and I cannot help but scream with him as I know what it is he sees. Voldemort. No, no, no…this cannot be happening. This never happened with Snape, Harry or anyone else from the old world. Why him?

I turn my fearful eyes towards Dumbledore, who looks at me helplessly. Does he know what is happening? I continue to scream, along with my father, trapped in a hellish nightmare. The silver dome around us begins to shake until it shatters into millions of tiny pieces. My father, too lost in visions, cannot hold it together any longer. The moment it dissipates, Dumbledore, Snape and my mother run towards us.

Dumbledore goes to my father, falling to his knees beside the still screaming man. Snape runs to me, engulfing me in his arms. Both men, together, begin to pry our hands free. At first, they are unsuccessful, as if some invisible force glues our hands as one. Snape grunts in my ear, yelling at Dumbledore to pull harder. My mother is standing in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She looks from her husband to her daughter, helpless to what is taking place.

"Come on!" Snape screams in frustration.

Suddenly, the invisible force holding me to my father releases its hold and Snape and I fall back. He breaks my fall with a loud "oomph". I do not move for a few seconds, drained of all energy. The memories in my mind settle like a wave breaking upon the shore. No one speaks for what feels like an eternity. Perhaps no one knows what to say. Finally, it is my father who breaks the silence.

"What—no," he groans. "I—I, what was that!"

Dumbledore tries to sooth him, trying to calm him, but there is no calming a man who saw the monster he was at one time. "Tom, look at me," Dumbledore says softly.

My father's fearful eyes look upon the man that raised him, his face flushed and drawn. The color is drained from his face, leaving him pale and sickly looking. My mother stands above him, her hands over his mouth as if to keep in a scream of confusion.

I cling to Snape, begging for his warmth and strength. He caresses my hair, talking softly to keep me calm. I am thankful he is here with me, holding me.

"I would never hurt them!" my father is screaming. "I would never hurt my family! I would never hurt my friends!" He is hysterical.

"No, you would never do that, Tom. What you were shown is not the person you are. I will explain everything, but I need you to calm down and listen to me carefully. The things I will share with you, with all of you, will not be easy to hear, but I need you to understand that it is not who you are! That…creature is not who you are."

"Vol—Voldemort," my father whispers.

I close my eyes, feeling my stomach flip as the name hangs in the air around us.

"He does not exist, never did in this life, Tom. You are safe." Dumbledore says gently, patting his son's arm.

"Then why do I hear him in my head? Why do I hear him speaking to me now?" My father whispers.

Every pair of eyes stare, wide eyed, at my father as he grabs his head and screams.


	11. The Gang is back together

I sit on Snape's desk as I watch him gather papers for his potions class. Dumbledore wanted to talk to my parents alone, so Snape took me to his office. My head pounds, loudly, in my ears, causing me to close my eyes for a moment. My father's frightened face dance behind my closed eyelids. It had taken Dumbledore several times to calm my father from his visions of Voldemort. As I watched, a fear took hold of my heart that my father would slowly become the monster I had risked everything to defeat. Time had ticked away and my father slowly began to calm. His red-rimmed eyes watched me with curiosity…and fear. That is what I cannot get out of my head, no matter how hard I try. His fear had been raw, thick, and it had been because of me.

"I had a few choice words for the way Albus handled the situation with your parents. He should have warned you." Snape continues to rummage through stacks of papers, not looking up to meet my eyes. Watching him, I am still amazed that he is here. That he is alive. I watch the artery in his neck move up and down with every beat of us heart. I see his chest rise and fall with the breath of life. I bring my hands to my face, remembering his blood covering every inch of them. So much death on that day. So much that does not exist anymore. My pounding head could not understand it all. Whatever happens from this moment on, knowing this man beside me breathes air again, knowing that my parents sit in Dumbledore's office and live, it will be all worth it.

When I lower my hand, Snape is watching me. For how long, I cannot say, but his black orbs stare into me. He slowly reaches a hand up to mine, capturing it in a gentle hold. I freeze, watching him closely. He slowly brings my hand to his face, turning my hand over to where my palm is outstretched. He lays his cheek in my hand and closes his eyes.

"I know that what I am experiencing is in no way close to the overwhelming thoughts that must be in your head, Aileen. Are you alright? Please, tell me the truth," Snape whispered, his words desperate.

There is a lump in my throat, causing me to fight for air. I try and swallow it down, but it protests and stays put. Snape turns my hand over, as he waits for an answer, and kisses the skin of my knuckles. The lump disappears as a fire begins to burn inside my stomach. How am I to concentrate when Snape is burning me alive with his touch?

"There is no way to explain what this is like, Severus," I begin, "Imagine if you had watched so many people that you love die. Imagine pieces of you dying with those people, only to find out there is a way to save them all, but by saving them you destroy yourself. I do not know where I have been all these years, in this life, but I do know I do not belong here. This is not my story, my life…my world. It belongs to a girl who never had to know what it was like for her parents not to want her, what it was like for her parents to torture her. It belongs to a girl who never had to experience watching the people she loved and cared for die in front of her. It belongs to a girl who never had to watch the man she loved die in her arms."

Snape flinches at my last words. His eyes grow pained as he lays his forehead on my hand.

"But, I am thankful that I am able to see a world where my parents' love for me is overwhelming. I am thankful that I am able to see a world where all the people I love and care for live on. And…," I whisper, stopping to clear the lump again, "I am so very thankful that I am able to touch the man I love again, to see life in his face and eyes once again. For that, I am so very thankful."

By the time I get through speaking, a stray tear runs down my cheek. I reach up to swipe it away, but Snape beats me to it. His thumb gently wipes the tear away, as he stands from his chair. He wraps his arms around me, holding me tightly to his warm chest. The smell of him engulfs me and my hold on everything crumbles. I turn my face into his chest, sobbing as if broken. He rubs my head, my back, my arms, anywhere he can touch, as if he needs to make sure I am real. With every touch, it calms my nerves. With every touch, it silences my sobs. He breathes energy into my body, strength. No, I do not understand how this is happening. No, I do not understand how I am going to let it go when the time comes, but for the moment, I will hold this man as tightly as I can.

As Snape kisses my forehead, down to my eyelids, something floats in his office towards us. I look up, recognizing the phoenix patronus from Dumbledore. It hovers before us, its wings slowly flapping. The phoenix turns its head to Snape, bowing once, and turns to leave. I watch, awed by the beauty of the patronus. Snape sighs deeply, bringing my attention back to him. His look suggests he's annoyed by something. He softly pushes my shoulders back, making me sit on his desk. He slumps in his seat, looking up at me with a tired expression.

"What is it?" I ask softly.

"Albus, along with myself, are desperate to find a way to stop what will happen to you, Aileen. I have been reading book after book looking for clues. Albus has been visiting old friends, some deep in the dark arts, to try and find a solution. We have found nothing, no answers. He has called in his closest friends. That is one of the reasons your parents are here, although they came earlier than the others. We need their help in this. Albus sent his patronus to inform me that…," he pauses, watching me closely, "Aileen, there are a group of people that heeded Albus' call. They have arrived and are in his office right now."

At first, I cannot understand why that is such a big deal. As the seconds tick away, I finally understand. I know these people. These people were my friends in the old world. There is only one group of people that Albus would ask help from, and it is in this moment I feel the blood drain from my face.

"The Order," I whisper, turning to look in the direction the patronus went. "Sirius! Remus!" I am half way down the tunnels of Slytherin before Snape catches up to me. He grabs my arm, gently, slowing my steps. I turn to him, begging him to release me. They are here, I know it with all that I am.

"Aileen, listen to me. In this world there is no Order. Whatever the Order was in your world, it did not carry over to this. Yes, there are people you know and love in Albus' office, but just as it was with your parents, these people do not know what has happened…not yet. Remember that."

He is right, I know he is, but the thought of Sirius and Remus being there, so close to me, is more than my heart can take. They are alive, as alive as anyone else. A sudden thought stops me. What if we aren't close in this world? What if they do not know me? No, Sirius is my family, so he will know me, but what about Remus? Is there a reason I will know him in this life? We are not family, but possibly through Sirius he will know me.

"I understand," I say, though it comes out three octaves high. To prove I understand, I slow my walk even though all I want to do is run. Snape takes my hand, squeezing gently. I look up at him, grateful he is here. We hold hands until we get to the hallway. Snape is the first to release, which causes me to feel sad. I need his strength and warmth now more than ever. As the passageway to Dumbledore's office sits before us, I feel anxiety course through my veins. What if they aren't there? No, they will be there, I know it. As soon as we are walking the stairs to Dumbledore's office, Snape grabs my hand again. Does he need to touch me as much as I do him? I hope so.

We stand in front of Dumbeldore's office door, and suddenly I cannot get my feet to work properly. I stare ahead of me, as if the harder I stare the better I can see inside. Voices rise and fall behind the wooden structure and I feel my heart leap into my throat when I hear a familiar laugh. My father is inside, sounding better than before. I hope Dumbledore healed his fragile mind, made him forget the monster called Voldemort. I rest my head against the cool surface of the door, praying for strength to face the people in this room, to face the ones who died, yet they live.

I lift my head, reaching to open the door, but Snape stops me. His large hand lays on top of my mine, and I look back at him.

"I am here with you, Aileen." The way he says those words make me feel as though I can face anything as long as he is with me. I gave him the best smile I can in the moment, and open the door.

As soon as we enter, the conversation ends and all eyes are on us. I do not dare to raise my eyes to meet their stares. Am I ready for this? Am I ready to come face to face with the dead? Someone moves, stepping forward, and I slowly lift my head to see. There, standing before me and smiling, as if it were Christmas morning, is Remus. Life runs through his veins as he continues grinning at me, his face alight with happiness. How handsome he looks. I am stunned, my eyes staring back at his. He never looked this healthy, this happy, in the old world, yet he stands before me a different man. Someone cuts in front of him and moves towards me.

"How are you, Aileen?" Dumbledore asks softly.

I look up at him, seeing concern in his eyes. "They're alive," I whisper, although we already know this. I look around the room, seeing numerous faces. Some I recognize, while others I do not. I hold in a gasp as Lily and James Potter stand in the corner, watching me. Beside them are the Longbottoms. They are…they are standing beside my…mother. I turn my back on the group watching me, facing the door. My eyes are wide, my vision blurry.

"Oh, come on, Little Bit. Aren't you happy to see us?"

All the breath is knocked from my lungs, the very blood in my veins standing still. The voice, his voice, washes over me like morning dew. I slowly turn back around. He is standing beside Remus, one hand propped on the man's back. They both wear identical smiles, smiles reserved only for me. I take one step towards them and stop. What if what happened to my father happens to them? I lost the chance to bolt as Sirius closes the gap between us and jerks me into his arms, swinging me around. I hold to his neck for dear life; a laugh escapes me. When he releases me, I keep a hold on him so as to not fall. Everyone watches us, a small smile playing on their lips. Being here, being amongst these people, I see what my sacrifice paid for.

My hand skims up Sirius' arm to his face. The beard under my palm is full and soft. He looks so much younger than I remember. As with Remus, Sirius looks so handsome it takes my breath away. He is watching me, a confused look on his face, but I do not care. I want to feel him, feel the life within him, so I know this isn't a dream. He is alive, and he is here.

"Miss me, Little Bit?" he asks softly.

My face crumbles, but I hold myself together. There will be time for tears, but that time is not now. I want to burn this new Sirius into my memory. I want to remember him for the lively man I see before me.

"More than you know," I whisper, my voice cracking under the emotion of the moment. I look at each face before me, see what a time without war and evil has done for them. All of them look happy, look alive. I turn to Snape and he watches me, a soft smile playing on his lips. He is aware of what this moment means to me. Beside him, Dumbledore watches as well. Although it is quick, I swear I see tears in the old man's eyes. When I blink, they are gone.

I turn back to Sirius, and without a word of warning I sling my arms around his neck and hold him tightly. At first he shows his surprise and stands frozen, but that does not last long and his arms snake around my waste.

"Okay, my turn." Remus taps Sirius on the back, his smile wide. Reluctantly, Sirius lets me go and I am lifted into Remus' arms. I laugh, again, as he hugs me tightly. Both men, meaning more to me than even they realize, are with me again.

"They always did fight over her, even when she was a baby," my mother said to Alice Longbottom.

"Do Harry and Neville know?" I whisper, turning to Dumbledore.

He nods his head, "They will be joining us shortly, along with the rest of your friends. I need everyone in on this, Aileen.

As if Harry and Neville hear me speaking of them, the doors to Dumbledore's office open and my friends come through…all of them. I watch Harry go to his parents, greeting them with hugs. Neville does the same. All I can do is watch them, watch these boys who lost so much. In this world, though, they have everything to gain. The love in the room is overwhelming.

"Hey, Draco," Sirius says, shaking my cousin's hand. "You two better behaving yourselves."

Draco laughs, and all I can do is stare in between them. "Please, cousin, where is the fun in that?" Draco responds. At his side, Hermione stands. The Weasleys are there…all of them. Ron is talking to his father, as his mother listens intently.

As everyone loses themselves in conversation, I walk to the furthest corner of the room. I need a moment, just a moment, to allow everything to sink in. I am rewriting history with every passing day and that takes its toll on the mind, the body and the soul. No one pays me attention, no one but one. Snape's intense stare takes a hold of me and I relax instantly. He is only a few steps away from me. He gives me a strained smile, but it is enough to calm my nerves.

When I turn back to Sirius he is staring between Snape and me, a look of confusion on his face. When he catches my eyes, he winks, causing me to chuckle. He walks towards me, sliding his arm around my shoulder. I lean into him, as if it is as natural as breathing. He rests his chin on my forehead, looking around the room with me.

"Albus has gathered all of these people. Why do I get the feeling it isn't for a good reason?"

My arm snakes around his waist, squeezing him, thankful we are as close in this world as the old one. "What? Dumbledore doesn't do reunions?" I say, trying to be funny.

Sirius chuckles, "We haven't had a reunion this large since you kids started here." He lifts his chin, looking down at me. "Something happened when you fell in that cave didn't it?"

"Dumbledore told you as well?" I ask, wondering how many of them already know.

"Nope, you're mom called me before they left…before I got the call from Albus to come to the school for a meeting. I just kinda put two and two together and wondering why you didn't call and tell me about it yourself."

His look turns hurtful, disappointed. Would I have done that in this new world? Called him when something happened? Looking from him to Remus, and remembering my mother's words from earlier, perhaps I would have. It is definitely something I would have done in the old world. Funny how I find something similar in both worlds…finally.

"In fact, I haven't heard anything from you in over a week. Has something gotten your attention lately?"

His eyes shift to Snape, who is in deep conversation with Dumbledore and Author Weasley. They grow dark, brooding, as he watches the man. "Something going on that you want to tell me?" His words are low, but I hear every crisp, clipped word. He is angry. Very angry.

"No," I say, chuckling, although it comes out strangled. I cough once, causing several people to look over at Sirius and me. One of those being Snape. He watches us, his own face growing as dark as Sirius'. I groan knowing that, yes, some things have remained the same…like the two men I love most still don't care for one another. Snape excuses himself and walks towards us. I try and shake my head, pleading with him not to come, but he ignores me, his eyes on Sirius.

"Severus," Sirius greets, his body tenses.

"Sirius," Snape replies.

Both men stare at each other, me in the middle. The tension in the room grows, and I turn my attention to Dumbledore for help. He is watching, a gleam in his eye. Is he finding this funny? I want to throw something at him, but instead I give him my most furious look. At this, he begin to laugh softly.

It is not Dumbledore that comes to my rescue, but another. Someone, who I had forgotten about. As soon as she says his name, and his attention is on her, I feel my insides turn.

"Severus, it's been too long, old friend."

He turns to look at the woman behind him while I stand in Sirius' embrace wanting to run to Snape and take his eyes from her. Lily Potter's smile is bright and as beautiful as her other features. Like a sun breaking through the darkness, she smiles wider when Snape turns his attention to her. Even knowing their history is not what it was in the old world, I feel my heart sink into my stomach as he walks away from me and towards her, hugging her to him.

"Lily," he says, but to my ears it sounds like a breath from a dying man.

James is talking to Harry, yet his eyes are on his wife. Although I am happy these two are alive, all I feel like doing is walking up to Snape and Lilly and throwing her off my man. By the looks of it, James feels the same way about Snape.

"Some things never change," Remus says, walking towards us and taking me from Sirius' arms, hugging me tightly. I hug him back, yet my eyes remain on Snape and Lily. Remus lets me go, but remains at my side. Sirius comes to my other side and we are all watching them hug. I fight back tears, although I should not be upset. I try and remind myself about what Snape had said to me on the Astronomy Tower. I try and remember his words of love, his look of adoration. In that moment, it is easier said than done.

"I never understood what she saw in him as a friend. He is always brooding. Angry, almost. I dare say if she would not have met James, who knows, they might have ended up together." Remus turned to Sirius, nodding his head in agreement of his friend's words. Those words crush me a little more.

"He has been a good friend to the Potters, Sirius. Whatever your offense is against him, you cannot disagree with that. She did marry James, and that is all that matters. Severus had his chance to stop them, but he knows how much she loves James. End of story," Remus said.

Is it the end of the story? Or is there more to this? Finally, they let one another go, but neither backed away. Only inches separate them, and their smiles mirror each other. I feel as though knives stab my stomach. I am about to leave, but the door opens and in walks two others. All eyes are on them, and I freeze, my eyes growing wide. The two late comers are greeted with a round of excited welcomes and hugs. I cannot do anything but watch. I watch Draco as he reaches his parents, giving them a long hug. Lucious and Narcissa Malfoy stroll into the room as if they belong with the people present. By the looks of it, they do. My mother and father walk towards them, embracing them with love.

The last time I saw my uncle and aunt was the day I changed the course of history. Neither of these people look as I remember. My uncle had looked as though he had lost everything. Well beyond his years, he looked like a man defeated in every way. It is a stark contrast to the man standing in front of me now. This man, this man spoke of strength and honor. The woman at his side compliments him in every way. Just as beautiful as my mother, she commands attention with her grace and beauty. I swallow, seeing my family whole again. Narcissa turns to me, her arm around my mother. She winks and throws me a kiss. I smile, not able to stop it, and reach out as if grabbing the kiss. Surreal does not even begin to cover what I am feeling as all that Dumbledore has called stand in the same room. Enemies are now friends. Broken families made whole. There is nothing I can do to stop the sobs that explode from me.

Everyone turns in my direction, the room going silent, as they watch me fall to my knees. To my surprise, and overwhelming relief, Snape is the first person I see beside me. "I'm here," he whispers. He takes my hand, standing me to my feet. I follow, as if in a daze. I rely on his strength in this moment, because my mind cannot comprehend all that I'm seeing. "I'm here," he says again.

Sirius steps forward, wrapping his arm around my waist and I fall into his side. My tears run down my face as everyone watches, helplessly. My mother walks forward, paying no attention to the men at my side. Her look is strained, sad. I can see the war waging in her head. It has not been lost on me that my parents haven't come near me after what happened to my father earlier. This is the first time my mother has been near me. She takes me, gently, from the two men holding me and wraps her arms around me, surprising me. Not until this moment did I realize it is exactly what I need. Her arms are strong, her hug sure, and her scent washes over me like a freshly cleaned blanket. This time, I have no trouble wrapping my arms around her and clinging to her for dear life. My father walks towards us, and through my tears, I watch him. He is unsure, uncomfortable even, but continues to cut the space between us. No matter what happened earlier, I find I need his arms around me too.

My mother turns her body, looking at her husband. Their looks are sad, but I reach a shaky hand out to him, needing him close. He rushes towards my mother and me, grabbing us both in his arms and holding on as if he fears we will slip away. It is the first time I have ever hugged them, the first time they have raised their hands to me in love and not hate. The thought makes me cry harder, yet I do not let go. My hold on them tightens, and I cannot help but to be grateful in this moment. They love me, and I finally get to see it.

"Everyone is here now. It is time we get this meeting under way. All of the children are in their respective rooms, so let us take this to the Great Hall." Dumbledore's words slice into my family moment, and my parents release me, yet they stay by my side.

I walk the halls of Hogwarts with the young and old. I hear parents telling their children of memories they had of the great school. My parents are on either side of me, as Remus and Sirius walk ahead of me. Snape is behind me, as close as he can get without looking suspicious. Although, I see my mother cutting her eyes at him. Sirius slows, making everyone behind him stop. He bends down, as if tying his shoe, but he looks back at me with a goofy grin dancing on his face.

"What are you waiting on, Little Bit, climb on!" I look at him, dumbfounded. He wants me to climb on his back? His smile fell. "You always liked riding on my back." His voice was low, sad.

"Sirius, she isn't a child anymore," my mother said, laughing.

"This is the sole reason I should have been the godfather," Remus said, laughing as well.

Sirius looks dejected as he begins to stand. My heart squeezes for him, to see the smile return to his face. Before he can fully stand, I lay my hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down. "I'm never too old," I whisper to him.

I climb onto his back, giggling like I am a young girl. My dad chuckles as he watches us, but Snape wears a mask of stone. I cannot tell what he is thinking. Sirius takes three steps forward before I begin to feel a familiar burn. It starts deep in my stomach, but spreads throughout my entire body, until I felt as though I would burst in flames. I know this feeling, and I know what is about to take place, but I am helpless to stop it. Sirius staggers forward, almost losing his balance. I hear a strangled sound leave his lips as visions begin to assault us both.

I am just a little girl, no more than four, flying through the air. Sirius has me in his arms, laughing as I squeal in delight. At the same time, Sirius sees the first moment we meet, the moment he drags me away from Hogwarts. He sees 12 Grimmauld Place during Christmas. He sees the gloom of his home, sees the darkness within. I see a different kind of Christmas in the same home. Laughter and joy fills my head. A large Christmas tree with presents overflowing meets my gaze. Sirius sees an argument between himself and Snape involving me and adoption papers sitting in front of him on the table. I see him hugging my mother, kissing her on the cheek. He sees a battle before him, bodies on the ground. Harry is beside him and they are smiling. There my mother is, looking the way I remember. She throws the death curse at him, hitting him in the chest. Sirius is watching as he falls through the arch and disappears in death.

He stumbles again, this time falling to the ground. Before I tumble off of him he sees one final vision. He is standing in a forest, surrounded by his closest friends. Remus is there. So is James and Lily. He glows as Harry and I look on. He is dead, and he knows this. As if coming out of sleep, I hear him moan, a guttural, scared sound. I am on my back, sitting up slowly. I meet his stare. His eyes are wide, his mouth hanging open. There is nothing I can say to him, nothing to take away the stinging bite of seeing yourself dead. Gone, was the soft features on his face. Gone, was the love in his eyes. He looks at me as if I have grown two heads, even scoots away from me. Do I blame him? No.

To my rescue, as usual, Snape swoops in and pulls me to my feet. He does not wait for a response, does not give an explanation. He flees from the group that stops to watch, and he takes me with him. "What's happening?" I ask, shakily. "Something's happening! Something's changing!" I add, almost hysterically. The two worlds, the old and the new, are colliding.

"It's okay Aileen. You're safe," Snape says, trying to get me to the Great Hall before I lose all control of myself. Dumbledore is watching from the door, having seen what has happened. He looks lost, as if having no idea what is happening. It scares me more than anything else. I need him to be in control, to have the answers, but one look in his eyes tells me he is just as lost as I am.

Snape and Dumbledore walk me in front of the group, who are taking their seats for the meeting to begin. I do not look at my parents, Remus or Sirius as they come staggering in. I cannot face their confused looks. It will destroy me to see that scared look in Sirus' eyes again. Instead, I turn my face towards Snape, pushing myself into his side. To my surprise, he welcomes me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me closely. I hear murmurs, but no one calls out his actions. When I do take a look around me, I see my father standing after everyone is seated. He is staring at Snape and me, and if looks could kill, Snape would be a dead man…again. He turns to Dumbledore and must see something in the man's face, because he slowly takes his seat.

"I want to start off by thanking everyone for coming on such short notice." Dumbledore pauses, taking several moments to choose his next words. "I—I would like to tell you a story of a time very different from our own. There is magic that I, myself, cannot even explain. But there are some things that can never be believed just by a mere explanation. Sometimes, one has to see to believe. So, I will show you…or rather, Aileen will show you."

My eyes grow wide at Dumbledore's words. I stare at him as he reaches a hand out to me. He wants to show them, show them the world that they should never know of.

"Please, Aileen. There is no other way. We are running out of time and I need their help," Dumbledore said softly.

Although, it is the last thing I want, I place my small hand in his, allowing him to pull me out of Snape's warm embrace. And it is in that moment that two worlds absolutely collide. It is in that moment that I show them sacrifice, evilness, love beyond all understanding, hopelessness, death, loss, hope, new beginnings, a change in everything we know and believe. I showed them a life forfeited, so all others could live. It is in this moment they see my world. The good, the bad, the ugly.


	12. The Truth

The only part of me I allow to move is my eyes. I look above my head at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. As I watch, large clouds grow, blocking out the beauty of the late evening sun. A storm is coming, bringing with it thunder and lightning. I cannot help but feel the change in the room I'm standing in now. Everyone present has seen the horrors of the world I belong to. What happens next happens in the blink of an eye, and I am left to watch in shock.

James Potter moves first, grabbing Lily and Harry and running away from the group of shocked onlookers. He stands before his family, his wand out before him. Next, my aunt and uncle move opposite the Potters towards the nearest exit, my uncle's wand out before him as well. It is in that moment that each person breaks away. All of them, except for a select few, have their wands pointing directly at my father. He stands like a deer caught in the headlights, my mother holding closely to him. Her wide eyes look around the room at their friends, her mouth open in a gasp. Sirius walks towards me, jerking me from Snape's arm and pulling me behind him, his wand out in a flash.

Above us, the thunder begins to rumble, the room alight with lightning. It shines upon everyone's face, and all wear the same mask…fear. I try and move around Sirius, but he does not let me pass. He is pushing me away from the group, away from Snape, who is pulling his wand out and is facing off with Sirius. I look towards Dumbledore, begging with my eyes for him to intervene. The man is looking around, his face showing his frustration and regret.

"Please, will everyone just calm down," he calls out gently.

No one acts as if they hear him, all of them caught up in the person closest to them. Are they the enemy? Are they allies?

"Let her go, Sirius," Snape drawls, taking a step towards us.

"One more step and you'll regret it," Sirius responds, his wand pointing directly at Snape's chest.

I try again to get around Sirius, but his hold on my arm is strong. The more I fight him, the more he clamps down. Snape looks at me helplessly, not knowing what to do. I know that I am safe with Sirius, he would never hurt me, but what is bothering me is where his wand is pointing. Again, I look at Dumbledore.

"I said," he begins, his voice growing in volume as the lights of the Great Hall begin to flicker. Every word he speaks bounces off the walls and smacks everyone to their senses. "Everyone must calm down…_now!_" he commands.

As if awakening from a dream, everyone begins to shake their heads. Slowly, their wands fall to their sides, their eyes looking around for an explanation. It is then that all eyes turn to me; young and old stare in my direction. Sirius lets go of my arm, turning slowly to stare at me along with the others. I feel like a spotlight boring down upon me opening me up for everyone to see.

My father is the first to look away, falling into a chair as if his strength has been drained from his body. His face is pale white, his eyes wide and unseeing. As he reaches his hand up to wipe his face, I watch how he shakes and my heart bleeds for him. How does one deal with seeing so much death and destruction at his own hands? My mother lays her hand on his shoulder, her eyes searching him. Even now, her love for him outshines anything else.

Snape walks the rest of the way towards us, standing just inches away from Sirius. "Please, let her go now," he says low, deadly.

Sirius hesitates for a moment, not sure what to do. I make his mind up for him as I walk around him and take Snape's outstretched hand, but I do not allow Snape to pull me away. I stand close to Sirius, taking his hand in my empty hand. I will not be pulled between them, not like I was in the old world. Both men mean a great deal to me, and both men will have to learn to get along and share.

"I do apologize for not giving some kind of warning for what I was about to show you. But, honestly, how does one explain about a world that no longer exists? How does one explain the horrors that existed, yet were changed? I felt it better to thrust it upon you all as quickly as possible, and then we could discuss it. I knew it would be hard, confusing, and I did not make the decision lightly. There is a reason that all of you were just shown such things. A reason, that when explained, you all will do everything possible to help me."

Dumbledore takes a breath, turning his soft eyes towards me. Stretching his hand out, he beckons me to his side again. I let go of Snape and Sirius and go to him without hesitation. This is it, the moment that all will be explained. This is the moment that each and every person will know of a world so much different than what they know, and why that world is different. Will they believe Dumbledore, even after all that they have seen? Will their minds allow it?

"What you all saw is…," Dumbledore begins, but I stop him, laying my hand upon his chest. He turns his bewildered eyes towards him. "This is my story to tell," I whisper. He smiles, understanding showing in his eyes. He nods towards me, giving me the floor to speak. I turn towards everyone, concern and confusion on their faces.

"What you just saw is not a dream or an imagination from my mind," I begin, my hands shaking. "That world existed just as this one exists." There is an audible gasp throughout the Great Hall. Everyone looks at the other, their eyes wide as their faces pale. "I am not who you think I am." I look at Snape. He gives me a nod to go on. "I am not the Aileen of this world but of the world you just saw. I was brought to this world days ago…by someone who wants revenge. It is true, many lives were destroyed, many lives lost. It is true that the man sitting before you, my…father, was the one responsible for all of the devastation, but that is not who he is. Just as the Potters and the Longbottoms and all of you who breathe life again stand here changed, so is he changed. It was a choice I made. A choice that changed the course of everything you just saw. I went back and changed the course of my father's life, thus changing everyone's present life as well. There is no easy way to explain it, but just to say that it was real. It existed. And all that happened has been changed. I cannot make you believe it, cannot make you believe that good won against evil, but I can tell you that I sacrificed everything so that you all could have this world. Please, do not forget who each of you are now. Please, don't let my sacrifice be in vain, because of fear and prejudice against each other. If there was any other way…any way, you all would have never had to have seen that world. I still wish you would not had to have seen it."

By the time I am done, my face is wet with tears. I watch for everyone's reaction, and so far, there is not an ounce of movement from any of them. They are in shock, or fear, I'm not sure, but at least their wands are lowered.

"I must agree with Aileen. If there was any other way around showing you those horrible images I would have done so without question, but time is against us here. As brilliant as I like to think I am, I have no answers for you, or how what Aileen and I did worked. All I know now is because it worked, Aileen's life is in terrible danger."

Finally, the first voice speaks, other than mine and Dumbledore's. "Aileen's in danger? What are you talking about?" It surprises me who it is that speaks. He stands slowly, color reaching his face again, as he looks from me to Dumbledore. My father's chest rises and falls hurriedly, his features turning to worry. "Why is my daughter in danger?" he asks again.

"You can't expect to perform that kind of magic, changing the course of an entire world, and not expect payment for such a thing." Everyone turns their eyes towards Remus. He stares at me, awe in his eyes. "You saved a lot of souls, Aileen."

I nod my head, my eyes filling with more tears. He is the first to understand, the first to get it. "Every choice has a consequence," I whispered to him.

"Every consequence, a payment," Remus finishes.

Murmurs erupt around the Great Hall, and I turn my attention back on Snape. He is watching me, his face showing none of what he is feeling, yet his eyes tell me everything I need to know. There is a pain within them. A pain and a fear so palpable I feel as though it slaps me in the face. The consequence of my actions is payment of death. Slowly, everyone in the Great Hall begins to understand.

_My life for theirs._

"What do we do, Albus?" Alastor Moody asks.

"We search the world over, looking for any way to stop what is to come. Something, someone, is coming for Aileen to make her pay for the things she had changed. We must find a way to stop him at all cost."

"Someone's coming for Aileen? Who?" Author Weasley asks, his eyes wide.

The ones of us who know the answer to the question do not speak it at first. I cannot force the words through my mouth.

"Death."

It is Snape who answers the question. His word hits everyone square in the chest, and most of them gasp. Their eyes turn to me, their fear palpable. It is in that moment, the plans begin to form. For the remainder of the evening, people talk in hushed voices, trying to find an answer. I watch from a corner of the Great Hall, noticing the change. It is subtle at first, but the more time we spend among one another, the more pronounced it gets. I look over at Dumbledore, seeing if he is noticing. By the hard lines upon his face, as he looks out at the others, I realize he is noticing as well. A cold shiver runs the length of my spine as I see an invisible line beginning to form.

Enemies, who in this world have become friends, begin drifting further and further from one another, until it is evident what groups are standing with the others. The only people brave enough to stand by my parents are my aunt and uncle. Even the students present have broken off. Crabbe, Goyle and Draco stand off to the side, while Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville whisper in a group a few feet away from them. The Potters, Longbottoms, Sirius and Lupin make their own group away from the rest. Their eyes scan over towards me, Sirius giving me a small smile. I feel the change in the air, yet I want to deny it. Did Dumbledore and I make a mistake? Our eyes meet finally, and the sad smile upon his face answers my question. The smile he gives me breaks my heart.

"What are you thinking?" I turn to see Snape beside me, his hand sliding into mine and squeezing softly. Tears prick the corners of my eyes, as his eyes darken. "We will find a way to save you, Aileen. I swear it," he whispers. I hear conviction behind his words, yet my life is not what upsets me at the moment.

"Saving my life is not worth tarnishing their world like we just did," I whisper. The more I stand there and watch them, the more I feel guilt at what Dumbledore and I have done. Snape looks past me, and for the first time he sees the lines being drawn between the groups. I shiver as I look again, the feeling of Déjà vu growing within me. The enchanted ceiling above us begins to rumble. It is the only thing that could take my eyes from the group of people. The clouds are dark above our heads, the lightning in the distance. There is something growing, shaping in the clouds as I watch. I cannot make it out at first, but my attention is taken away from it as someone approaches Snape and me.

As I look, I see Sirius, James and Lupin coming towards Snape and me. Suddenly, Snape grows rigid beside me. His palm in mine is cold and clammy.

"James," Lily calls out, sighing deeply.

My eyes turn to the man that Harry so resembles, and I see anger in his eyes, loathing. I have a mind to step in front of Snape, but he beats me to it. Gently, he pushes me behind him, as if he fears the men will harm me. Above our heads, lightning streaks through the enchanted ceiling and I feel a shiver run down my spine. The air shifts in the room, causing it to become cold. The light seems to dim just enough to be noticed, but not enough to be wary. Something is happening, changing the atmosphere around the room. At the same time the three men approach Snape and me, others begin to approach one another. Draco and his friends turn on Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville. My mother walks towards the Longbottoms, a deathly look upon her face. Even as Dumbledore begins to speak, no one pays the man any attention. He looks around, wide eyed and confused.

"You have a thing for my wife, Snivellus?"

"James, please, get back here" Lily calls out, her eyes wide.

"Listen to your wife, Potter," Snape sneers, taking a step towards James, Sirius and Lupin.

The air continues to change around the room. Is it possible that I am the only one who notices? Not even Dumbledore looks aware as he stands in between Lucious Malfoy and Moody, both men's fingers pointing at the other.

Thunder rumbles above my head as I turn my attention to the large stained glass window of the Great Hall. I wait, for what I am not sure, but I wait all the same. Lightning streaks above me again, yet it is still outside the window. Where is the light from the lightning? Where is the thunder that should be present outside? Everything grows dim around me as I walk my heavy feet towards the window. It is in this moment, as I stare at the stars in the real night sky that the realization of what is happening crashes down upon me. I fight for breath, fight to stay upright. The enchanted ceiling should be dazzling us with its stars, yet above our heads is a storm brewing. I turn, looking up as if in a trance, and stare…waiting.

Suddenly, I see what it is I have been feeling. It starts small, but grows until it covers the middle of the room. I gasp, shaking my head, and force my eyes away to look at my watch.

_11:59 p.m._

A skull begins to grow, the same skull from my nightmares. How many times did I look upon this skull in the old world? How many times did I cringe at the thought of what that meant? The skull grew until its mouth stood open. Looking down, I notice the skull is right above my father's head. Something, looking like a snake, slithers from its mouth heading straight towards my unsuspecting father. No one is aware of what is taking place but me. A cold, hard dread seizes me, but I shake it off as I grab my wand.

I storm towards my parents, who are arguing with the Weasley's now. With swift movements, I catch everyone's attention as the arguments slowly die away. The snake is almost to my father and I open my mouth to scream.

"_GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_

They do not hesitate, which I am grateful for. My swift walking turns into a run as the snake is almost to the ground. Suddenly, all are aware of what is happening, as they turn their stunned, scared eyes towards the skull and snake. It is too late for others to react, but I am right where I want to be. I begin to move my wand in a circular motion above my head, conjuring a dome as my father had done earlier. As the white light falls around me, sealing me in with the skull and snake, I hear the sounds of screams, yet those screams are cut short once the dome is secure. I am trapped inside with what I now realize is the one who wants me dead.

To my left, Sirius and Snape are beating against the dome, trying to find a way in. My parents stand ahead of me, trying to force their way through. All anger and hatred is forgotten as everyone tries to break through the dome. I know they will not be successful. I know this because Death will keep them from entering.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," comes a voice from the enchanted ceiling above my head. I close my eyes, preparing to come face to face with Death. I am cold, feeling completely alone, although I see everyone around me. They cannot help me now. "You are trying to cheat, Aileen. I am very disappointed in you." Death appears before me, his red eyes searching my face. He wears a smile upon his lips, yet it does not calm my nerves. This smile is sinister. He is angry.

"I have a right to try and live," I whisper, hot tears in my eyes.

He slithers around me, and I turn with his every move. Will he strike me down now? Even with the seven days not done, will he take my life before all that I love? I feel his anger coming off of him in waves slapping me clean in the face. What is making him so angry? Why is telling these people of the old world bothering him so much? Something begins to nag me, something I dare not want to believe.

"You would not be so angry if there was not a way to fight this," I say, more to myself than to him.

He is upon me as swiftly as a breath. His hand takes my soft, delicate throat and begins to squeeze. This causes a fury of movement from outside the dome, but I keep my eyes upon Death. There is a new look in his red eyes, a look of uncertainty I have not seen since he appeared to me. He looks…scared.

"I could snuff the life from you at this very moment. In front of all that you love," he whispers close to my ear.

I reach up slowly, able to pry his cold, bony hands from my neck. To my surprise, I have the strength to do it. The fear in his eyes grow as he watches my movements. Where my boldness comes from, I am not sure, but the stronger his fear becomes, the stronger I become, until his hands are laying at his side.

"No you couldn't," I say, softly. "It took me seven years to foil your plan of death. It will take you seven days to take my life in payment. You cannot hurt me until that time comes, otherwise you would have already succeeded. It was never about wanting me to see a world I always longed for. It was that you did not have the power."

He begins to snarl, inches from my face, but I know that I am right. I am right about it all. He cannot hurt me, scare me of course, but not hurt me. I come to the shocking realization that I am right on another point.

"There is a way to save me, isn't there?" I breathe, my eyes growing wide.

He takes my face in his hands, as a lover would do to their love. His breath is cold on my cheeks as his lips are inches from my own. "Four days, my sweet, Aileen."

One moment he is there. The next he is gone. I am left standing in the dome alone, my friends and family continuously beating on the barrier. I stare without seeing, hear without hearing. My whole being is caught in the fact that he did not answer my question. Hope begins to surge inside me, hope that I dared not feel before. It cannot be true, yet I feel that it is with every fiber of my being. The answers are out there. I just have to find them.

The dome dissolves, allowing everyone to rush towards me. My parents reach me first, throwing their arms around me. Next to them stand Sirius and Snape. Their wide, fearful eyes are searching me for any injuries, but my eyes are only on one person in that moment. His clear, blue eyes watch me, and I cannot read the look upon his face. I am aware of my parents letting me go, but another's arms are around me. I smell him before I am aware that it is him, and I finally close my eyes and breathe him in. Snape holds me tightly to him, his body slightly shaking. I try and find the words to comfort him, to make him see that I am okay, but my words fail me.

Dumbledore walks towards us, his hand laying gently upon my shoulder. "That was a brave and very dangerous thing you did, Aileen. But it worked. He was causing the hostility in the room. Once the dome was in place, everyone was released from his hold."

"Professor, there…," I stammer, unable to get enough breath to speak. He waits patiently as I shake off the remaining fear. Time stands still as we stare at one another. He sees something in my eyes, something that makes him gasp.

"There's a way to beat him…," Dumbledore breathes, his eyes growing wide, saying the words that I dare not believe are true.


End file.
